Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Levelled church site depicted as 'Site of Templefeenan' on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map. No surface remains visible. Originally known as Teampall Fionain [Church of Fionain] which was then anglicised as Templefeenan. In 1682 Piers stated that Fore contained the ruins of three churches (WM008-097002-; WM004-035003-) one of which was called Teampall Fionain (Piers 1981, 63). This church was demolished c. 1830 (Stokes 1892, 7-8; Walsh 1957, 60). Writing in 1892 Stokes (1892, 7-8) stated that there 'were till sixty years ago the ruins of three churches at Fore, just as in Sir Henry Piers's time about 1680'. Stokes goes on to state 'that there was another church levelled to the ground in 1830, called Tempull Fionan, outside the Castlepollard gate' (Stokes 1892, 8). According to Bradley (1985, 79) the church allegedly stood outside the North Gate but the unusual curve in the townland boundary at this point may preserve the line of an enclosure and this suggests that it may have been within the wall. Nothing is known of the church apart from its name and location. The dedication to an Irish saint suggests that the site is of pre-Norman origin but Teampall dedications have been shown to be post-1200 elsewhere in Ireland (Hurley 1980, 52-65).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 21 November 2013

References

Hurley, V. 1980 Additions to the map of monastic Ireland: the south-west. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 85, 52-65.

Piers, H. 1981 A chorographical description of the county of Westmeath written AD 1682. Meath Archaeologial & Historical Society.

Stokes, G. T. 1892 St. Fechin of Fore and his monastery. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 2, 1-12.

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H. 1985 Urban archaeological survey - county Westmeath. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

ASIAP - Archaeological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1996 - c. 2010).

Walsh, P. 1957 The Placenames of Westmeath. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.