Church

The National Monuments Service's description

On a natural rise on ground which slopes to E, marshy area in field immediately to E, in pasture. The summit of Knockgraffon motte (TS075-019001-) is visible to ESE. Ó Cearbhaill (2007, 44-6) discusses the derivation of the placename Killardry. The church (int. dims. 5.74m N-S; c. 20.7m E-W; wall T 0.75-1.05m) is placed W of centre within a graveyard (TS075-019003-). It is built of sandstone rubble, randomly coursed, with a later cross-wall (T 0.83m) inserted, possibly shortening the church. The E gable is in good condition, the side walls are relatively intact (max. H 3m) with some collapse but only the foundations of the W gable are visible. In the collapsed rubble on the S wall there is the sill of a two-light window. There are two opposing doorways at the W end of the N and S walls. That in the S wall is a particularly fine round-headed doorway with moulded sandstone surround and remains of a hood-moulding with plain label. The doorway in the N wall is also round-headed and is chamfered externally. There is physical evidence for three windows, two in the S wall and a centrally placed two-light ogee-headed window in the E gable with hollow spandrels within a chamfered box surround with hood-moulding. According to the OS Letters there was a narrow, flat-headed window in the N wall 2m from the W gable, and another window, broken out, near the E gable (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 3, 63). There is an aumbry at the E end of the S wall. A corbel which possibly functioned as a statue rest projects from the E gable, S of the window and beneath window level. The ground level, both internally and externally, is considerably built-up. Headstones, dated 1767 and 1776, have been erected against the cross-wall on the E side.
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.

Ó Cearbhaill, P. 2007 Logainmneacha na hÉireann II: Cill i logainmneacha Co. Thiobraid Árann. The Stationery Office. Dublin.