Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the crest of an E-facing slope on a slight N-S ridge. Power (1952, 215) considered this to be the site of an early church of which practically all trace had disappeared. The visible remains consist of a sub-circular scrub-covered area (diam. 27m) (WA027-003002-) defined by the remnants of a stone wall (Wth 1.8m) generally reduced to a scarp (H c. 0.6m). This enclosure (WA027-003002-) is traditionally considered to be a burial ground (WA027-003003-), and there is one grave-marker in the interior which is raised and stony. It corresponds with the SE quadrant of a much larger sub-circular tri-vallate monument (WA027-003010-) the full extent of which was revealed as a result of geophysical survey undertaken in 2007 (Bonsall and Gimson 2007); this provides an internal diameter of 80m and an external one of 95m for the enclosing elements. The survey also indicated the existence of a possible annex to the S. The monument was investigated by M.J. Bowman in 1940 and a reassessment of his results (Curtin 2015) indicates a multiphase site. The pottery recovered (B ware and E ware) suggests occupation in the medieval period and the presence of Leinster cooking ware is indicative of occupation in the 13th-14th centuries. Evidence of iron working indicates that the site was used during the late medieval or early modern period and a final period of use of the site was as a burial ground (WA027-003001-; ibid., 86). The onomastic evidence coupled with the presence of a grave-marker, a possible cross-slab (WA027-003006-) and the cross-inscribed pillar stone (WA027-003003-) clearly indicates an ecclesiastical context in terms of its occupation or use. (Power 1941; 1952, 215; Moore 1999, 165-6; Bonsall and Gimson 2007; Curtin 2015)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Updated by: Paul Walsh

Revised date of upload: 21 December 2015

References

Power, Rev. P. 1952 (second ed.) The placenames of the Decies. Cork University Press.

Power, P. 1941 Ballygarran Cill, near Waterford. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 71, 63-4.

Curtin, J. 2015 A reassessment of Michael J. Bowman's excavation of Killeenagh Burial Ground, Ballygarran, Co. Waterford, 1940. M.A. Thesis, University College Cork. National Monuments Service Archive.

Bonsall, J. and Gimson, H. (2007) R708 Airport road realignment, Phase 3, County Waterford. Archaeological Geophysical Survey Detection licence No. 07R0003. Unpublished report. Earthsound.