Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The outline of a small rectangular building presumably a church standing in the centre of the graveyard (WM027-066001-) is depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map. This church was described in 1976 as 'Within the small graveyard (WM027-066001-) enclosure only a portion of the S wall (L 10m; Wth 5m; T 0.85m) of the church remains standing. This contains a S doorway of late segmental type arch. Doorway jambs rebated on W. This wall has been repaired and secured by the Co. Council? Traces of footings now mounded over and other walls can be seen. No further dressed stone can be seen'(SMR file). This building was described in 1981 as 'A small D-shaped enclosure surrounded by a stone wall. Within is the S wall of a church, segment only survives to a height of 3m high, plain doorway and within a raised area gives the outline of the church' (SMR file). Clonfad monastery was founded here around the middle of the 6th century by St. Etchen (Cogan 1870, 553). The church and graveyard (WM027-066001-) was probably located on the site of the monastery rather than the square-shaped enclosure (WM027-067001-) marked as ‘Monastery’ c. 220m to the NNE on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map.

Date of upload: 3 December 2009

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien