Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight rise on the N bank of a WNW-ESE stream, which is c. 40m to the S. This is an early monastic site founded by a St Colman in the 7th century, according to J. O'Donovan, writing c. 1840 (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 1, 245–66), or St. Aodhán (Ó Riain 2011, 75). It was called Sean Bota - the old tents or booths. St Colman was a contemporary of St. Mogue of Ferns (WX015-003002-) and his pattern was celebrated on 27th October. (Ua Dubhghaill 1925, 92-3; Culleton 1999, 127)
The church also served as the parish church of Templeshanbo within an oval graveyard (dims. c. 100m E-W; c. 55m N-S) defined by an earthen bank. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 Thomas Gallamore was the rector, John Hughes the curate, and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 272). Portion of the W wall survives (L 4.15m; T 1.2m; H 1.4m). Originally the doorway (Wth 0.9m) had a batter and a round head that does not survive. There is a bullaun stone (dims. 0.52m x 0.42m; H 0.2m plus) with a single basin (diam. 0.29m; D 0.14m) in the doorway of the church. St Colman's Well, a rectangular drystone structure approached by stone steps, lies c. 150m to the SE (Ó Broin 1983-4, 34). A bullaun stone from well (SMR file) is now missing. The graveyard with a C. of I. church is surrounded by a D-shaped ecclesiastical enclosure (max. ext. dims. c. 200m E-W; c. 130m N-S) visible as two cropmark features backing onto the stream on aerial photographs (MM (2) 16–25; (17) 29-36) and digital areial photographs (WX014-011_1 to _4) from 2006. Ballindaggan burial ground (WX014-012----) is on the other side of the stream c. 100m to the S.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload/revision: 26 April, 2012
Amended: 4 Sep. 2013

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1933 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of County Wexford, collected during progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838. Typescript in 2 vols. Bray.

Hore, P.H. 1900-1911 (Reprint 1979) History of the town and county of Wexford, 6 vols. Dublin. Published by arrangement with W.A. Hennessy Esq.

Culleton, E. 1999 Celtic and Early Christian Wexford. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1999.

Ua Dubhghaill, S. 1925 List of ancient churches, graveyards, castles, wells, etc. The Past, vol. 3, 86-99.

Ó Broin, G. 1983-4 The holy wells of Wexford. Journal of the Wexford Historical Society 9, 27-35.

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