Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a gentle S-facing slope at the head of a N-S valley leading to the sea at Dunmore Bay c. 1.2 km to the SSE. This is the fortified parish church of Killea, dedicated to St. Áed, within a subrectangular graveyard (max. dims. c. 60m E-W; c. 35m N-S) defined by masonry walls on the W, N and E sides and a field bank at S. References date from 1203 when the church of St Eoth was granted to Herverbrict of Dunmor (Fewer 1996, 162).
The nave (ext. dims. 12.1m E-W; 6.35m N-S) is defined by grass-covered foundations, with a narrower chancel, evident as a fragment of the S wall, with a rectangular window. A three-storey tower, of which the N wall (L 4.35m) and adjacent parts of the E and W walls survive to the parapet level (H c. 8m), was built onto the N chancel wall. The tower has a slight base-batter and plain quoins with a vault over the ground floor and rectangular windows at the upper two levels. (Power 1890-91, 476-7; Fewer 1996)

Power, Rev. P. (1890-91) The ancient ruined churches of Co. Warterford. JRSAI 20-21, 475-82.
Fewer, T. G. (1996) The ruined church of Killea: a consideration of its date and foundation. Decies, No. 52, 151-67.

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: 10 June 2011