Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on an E and NE-facing slope. The parish church of Coolstuff is within a rectangular graveyard (dims 56.5m E-W; 36.5m N-S) defined by field banks and hedges. The nave (ext. dims 19.3m E-W; 8.8m N-S) and chancel (ext. dims 6.1m plus E-W; 6.3m N-S) are visible as grass-covered foundations and sections of the N wall (L 5m) and the S wall (L 7.5m) of the nave surviving to a height of c. 2.6m. There are indications of doorways towards the W end of the nave walls, and pointed doorways of undressed stone '18 feet (c. 5.5m)' from the W gable can be confirmed by John O’Donovan writing c. 1840 when more of the walls survived and even some of the chancel arch wall, but no other features are described apart from the cavities of two destroyed windows in the S wall and one in the N (O’Flanagan 1933, vol. 1, 362). A bullaun stone (dims 0.52m x 0.37m) with a single basin and a rectangular font (ext. dims 0.55m; x 0.47m plus) that is broken are within the church. The site of Lady's Well (WX041-011----) is c. 60m E of the graveyard.

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: 19 March, 2013