Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on N facing slope of low rising ground with Lynn House and Lough Ennell 190m and 290m to W respectively. Mullingar town lies 3.4km to N. Parish church of Lynn (Lann Mhic Luacháin) probably dedicated to St. Colmán (Mocholmoc) abbot of Lynn, who died in 699 (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 41). Colmán was reputedly the son of Luacháin, of the Clann Cholmáin although others claim he was descended from the Conall Creamhthainne of the southern Ui Néill, and to the Clanna Rudhraighe of north-east Ulster (Ó Riain 2011, 196-7). The relics of Colmán mic Luachain were kept in a shrine in Lynn from the time of Domnall (d. 763) until Turges (d. 845), when the shrine was hidden. In 1122 the shrine was taken out of the ground when the erenagh of Lynn was Gilla Crist mac Gilla Patraic, and a new shrine was made (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 41). The feast day of Colmán of Lynn was held on the 17th of June although other sources claim that his feast day occurred at Easter, in June, July and November (Ó Riain 2011, 197). Ó Riain (2011, 197) suggests that Colum Cille of Iona, was probably the original saint venerated at Lynn. In 1400 Odo Ocallan, priest in the diocese of Meath was assigned to the church of Lynn due to the resignation of Thomas Carpentere who did not understand well the tongue of the parishioners (Cal. papal letters, 284). Two castellated structures are depicted on the 1657 Down Survey map of Lynn parish in the area where the parish church is now located (NLI MS 723-4). One of these castellated structures may have been the remains of Lynn Church. Cogan (1867, 452) recorded that the 'old church measures sixty-nine feet (21m E-W) by nineteen (5.8m N-S)'.
Poorly preserved church ruins stands in N quadrant of D-shaped graveyard (WM026-003001-). Present remains consist of a nave (int. dims. E-W; N-S; wall T 0.85m) and chancel (int. dims. 6.4m E-W; 4.16m N-S; wall T 0.95m-1.3m) church (overall int. dims. 21.45m E-W; 4.16m N-S) built of rubble stone with buttress added on to support SE angle of church. Most of the walls are greatly reduced in height except for the S wall and SE angle of the chancel which survives to near full height and SW angle of nave. A blocked window embrasure is visible at W end of N wall of the chancel. Only the S splay of the E window of the chancel survives. A well preserved ogee-headed single light window is visible at E end of S wall of chancel. A stepped headed single light window is also present at W end of S wall of chancel. Both windows are set into segmental arched embrasures with wicker centring visible. Stone corbels (dims. 0.23m Wth x 0.18m H x 0.18m D) at the springing level of the window embrasures are visible in S wall of chancel. A flat-headed aumbry is visible in SE corner of E gable. A large 18th century recumbent ledger belonging to the Fitzgerald family lies in the centre of the chancel. The S wall of the chancel measures 1.3m thick in comparison to the E wall of the chancel which measures 0.95m thick. The thick S wall of the chancel along with the corbels suggest that this wall may have supported a second story or residential tower above the chancel of the church. Only the lower wall courses of the S wall of the nave survives intact. The outline of the levelled N wall and the W gable of the nave are barely discernible. Post 1700 memorials are visible in the centre of the nave.

Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien

Date of upload: 12 December 2017

References

NLI, MS 723-4 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Westmeath, attested by W. Petty, in 1659. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.

Ó Riain, P. 2011 A dictionary of Irish Saints. Dublin. Four Courts Press.

Cal. papal letters - Calendar of entries in the papal registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: papal letters, 1198-1484 [etc.] (London, 1893-)

Cogan, Rev. A. 1862-70 In John F. Fowler, Joseph Dollard (eds), The diocese of Meath, ancient and modern, 3 vols. Dublin. Dollard Publishers.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.