Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a broad low hill in the valley of the S-N Ballymoat stream. The parish church of Reisk is within a rectangular graveyard (dims. c. 40m N-S; c. 40m E-W) defined by a stone-faced earthen bank. The church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin with references dating from 1459 (Grattan-Flood 1896), and was described as repaired apart from the chancel in 1615 (Power, 1913, 116).
The chancel (int. dims. 8m E-W; 6.15m N-S), of which the pointed chancel arch of uncut voussoirs with a carved head of Dundry stone overhead on the E side, the N chancel wall (H 1m), and foundations of the E wall survive. The E gable, described by O'Donovan c. 1840 (O'Flanagan 1929, 18-19) as having a twin-light, roundheaded window (H c. 1.3m), does not survive, but traces of the W nave wall can be found 11m W of the chancel arch. A circular conglomerate font (ext. diam. 0.6m; int. diam. 0.46m; H 0.44m; D 0.15m) with four lugs is in the graveyard. (Power 1895b, 162-4)

Grattan-Flood, W. H. (1896) Notes and querries - 'Reiske church'. WAJ 2, 247.
O'Flanagan, M. (Compiler) (1929) Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Waterford collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1841. Typescript. Bray.
Power, Rev. P. (1895b) The ancient ruined churches of Waterford. WAJ. 1, 133-41, 152-72; 247-53.
Power, Rev. P. (1913) Material condition of the churches of Waterford. WAJ 16, 114-21.

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: Michael Moore

Date of upload/revision: 24 May 2011