Religious house - Augustinian canons

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the crest of the W-facing slope of a N-S valley. An early ecclesiastical site was reputedly founded here by St Brogan, succeeded by St. Cuan, in the 6th century. This may have been at St. Cuan's Well (WA003-051002-) c. 2km to the NE.The foundation of an Augustinian house here may pre-date the Anglo-Norman invasion. The abbey was dissolved in 1540, although the church may have been parochial at this time serving Mothel parish (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 188). On its dissolution the abbey consisted of a church and steeple, five chambers, a dormitory, a kitchen, a granary and stables (Power 1896b, 9-14).
The remains consist of part of the W gable with a doorway placed high in the wall, which may have led to a tower that is no longer extant, and part of the S wall with evidence of three windows, one with a pointed twin-light. A chapel or transept to the S, originally entered through a round-headed doorway, is represented by wall foundations. The decorated side panels of a chest-tomb (WA007-010003-) (M.M. 1959; Hunt 1974, vol. 1, 233-4) with an inscription commemorating Abbot Rory O'Comoyn dating c. 1500, three medieval graveslabs (WA007-010004-; WA007-010005-; WA007-010006-), a panel from a chest tomb (WA007-010013-), a finial with a cross-socket (WA007-010010-) and dressed casement stones are within the large rectangular graveyard (dims. c. 90m NW-SE; c. 75m NE-SW). There are a number of architectural fragments in the S transept, including a double capital with foliate decoration. A cross-slab (WA007-010012-) with a Latin cross in the graveyard and a similarly decorated pillar stone (Cloc-na-Comirca) at a nearby farm entrance (Manning 1981) may be Early Christian in date. Archaeological testing by D. Pollock in the farmyard recorded traces of a metalled surface (Pollock 2007). (P. 1897; Harbison 1992b, 327)

Harbison, P. (1992b) Guide to the national and historic monuments of Ireland. Gill and Macmillan Ltd., Dublin.
Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R. N. (1970) (reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses in Ireland. Irish Academic Press, Dublin.
Hunt, J. (1974) Irish medieval figure sculpture 1200-1600: a study of Irish tombs with notes on costume and armour, 2 vols. Irish University Press. Dublin.
Manning, C. (1981) An Early Christian grave-slab at Mothel. Decies, No. 17, 80-1.
MM (1959) The abbey of Mothel, Co. Waterford. NMAJ 8, 91-3.
P. (1897) Notes and querries - Cross inscribed pillar stone at Mothel. WAJ, 3, 117
Pollock, D. (2007) Mothel. Medieval monastic. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2004. summary account of excavations in Ireland, 427, No. 1685. Wordwell. Dublin.
Power, Rev. P. (1896b) The ancient ruined churches of Waterford. WAJ. 2, 2-15, 195-298.

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.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload/revision: 26 June 2013