Church

The National Monuments Service's description

On level ground in marshy land, centrally placed within almost square graveyard (TS061-035004-). There are three enclosures immediately to the S and SE (TS061-035002-; TS061-035003-; TS061-035006-) and an enclosure (TS061-034----) 200m to the W. The church (int. diam. 14.3m N-S; 5.9m E-W), aligned E-W, survives largely as an undivided rectangular building, defined by grass-covered low walling. It is constructed of limestone rubble, roughly coursed. There is an entrance (Wth 1.5m) at the W end of the S wall. There is a length of upstanding wall (L 1.9m; H 1.3m) to the W of the entrance and a good portion of the S wall (L 9.8m; Wth 0.8m) survives from the SE angle, being at its highest (H above ext. 2.7m) towards the E gable, though this wall is heavily overgrown with ivy and scrub. Otherwise the N, E (H 1m; Wth c. 0.9m) and W (H 0.85m; Wth 0.9m) walls are grass-covered. White (1892, 14) mentions that the church had buttresses, these are at either end of the E gable. The N buttress (H 1.95m; L 1.45m; D c. 1m) is in poorer condition than the S (H 2.95m; L 1.5m; D 1.4m), though the latter is heavily overgrown with ivy. The OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 109 (294-5)) mention 'a small window constructed of cut limestone placed at the distance of seven feet [0.17m] from the east gable and measuring on the outside, where it is placed at the height of four feet two inches [1.27m] from the present level of the ground, two feet one inch [0.63m] in height and seven inches [0.17m] in width. It is disfigured on the inside'. There is no evidence of this window near the E gable. The wall immediately S of the S buttress is largely broken out, but this appears to be where the E gable and S wall intersected. Further S along the S wall the upper section of the wall does not survive. Cahill (1982) mentions that 'A stone-cut font, said to have been used at the church, can be seen in a nearby farmyard', however this font cannot be presently located.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Tipperary collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840. Bray.

Cahill, M. 1982 The archaeology of the Barony of Middlethird, Co. Tipperary. Unpublished M. A. thesis.

White, J.D. 1892 Anthologia Tipperariensis. Cashel.