Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight N-facing slope on the floor of an E-W valley at the N foot of Bawnfune Hill. The parish church of Kilronan within a sub-rectangular graveyard (WA001-024002-) (max. dims. c. 55m E-W; c. 50m N-S) defined by earth and stone banks. Undifferentiated structure (ext. dims. 18.87m E-W; 9.05m N-S) with traces of rood-screen sockets towards the E end of the long walls. The church is almost complete, except the W wall, and it may have been fortified as the S wall has evidence of a wall-walk in an internal oversail. A pointed doorway (Wth 0.85m; H 1.7m) with a hood-moulding and internal hanging-eye is towards the W end of the S wall. A loft, supported on two corbels (H above int. ground level 1.56m) in both the N and S walls at the W end of the church, has an ogee-headed light in the S wall. There are two windows (now blocked) in the N wall and two, possibly three, windows in the S wall — the most easterly of which is a twin-light, cusped ogee-headed window. The E window has three lights with switchline tracery. A 'hermits cell' (int. dims. 2.03m x 0.85m) within the thickness of the N end of the E wall is entered from the church through a pointed doorway (Wth 0.5m; H 1.15m). The cell has a stone seat against the N wall, an aumbry in the S wall and a small light in the E wall. There are four aumbrys at the E end of the church, one with a trefoil-head over a piscina with an incised petal-decorated basin (diam. 0.3m). The church is probably mid-15th century in date. Kilronan Well (WA01-024003-) (dims. 1.15m x 1.3m) with a masonry canopy is c. 70m to the W. Archaeological testing (08E0216) c. 100m to the SW produded on related material (Henry 2008). (Power 1938a, 58)

Henry, M. (2008) Archaeological impact assessment of a proposed single house site at Russellstown, Kilmahahan, Co. Waterford. Licence: 08E0216. Unpublished report. Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd.
Power, Rev. P. (1938a) Some old churches of the Decies, JRSAI 68, 55-68.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload/revision: 31st January, 2011.