Church

The National Monuments Service's description

On a very gentle E-facing slope in gently undulating rough pasture. The church is located midway along the W side of a sub-rectangular graveyard (TS062-057001-) which is enclosed by a limestone wall capped roughly with cement. A ditch is cut along the internal N side of the boundary wall with upcast thrown inward forming a low bank. According to the Royal Visitation Book [Date 1615?] the church was in ruins 'Ecclesia de Cowlagh - Rectoria impropriata, vicaria unita es Decanatui. Ecclesia et Cancella ruinosa nullus Curatus' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 164). The Civil Survey (1654-6) mentions that there were 'on the lands of Cooleagh two little gardens of Gleabland, ditched about neare the Church' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 175). The church, aligned E-W, is composed of roughly cut blocks of limestone, roughly coursed. Only a length of the S wall (L 12.15m; T 1.14m; H 3.4m) and portion of the W gable (L 5.12m; T 0.75m; H c. 5m) survive, with cut and dressed limestone quoins in SW angle. Of the doorway (Wth 1.34m) towards E end of S wall, only the flat segmental-arched inner embrasure survives. However, two jambs with double-chamfers were visible in the graveyard, one at the doorway and another SE of the church. The ext. face of the W gable is heavily ivy clad, with trees growing immediately outside among collapsed rubble.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1931 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol I: county of Tipperary: eastern and southern baronies. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

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.