Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in the valley of a small N-S stream, which is c. 40m to the W. This is the fortified parish church of Kilmannan within a rectangular graveyard (dims c. 50m E-W; c. 30m N-S) defined by masonry walls. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 Jacob Prendergast was the rector and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 268). The church is named after Moininne, one of the most famous female saints in early Christian Ireland. She was connected with the Ui Eachach Comha of Co. Down or, in another version, with the Cenel Eoghan of Tyrone. She was reputedly baptised by St. Patrick, and founded a nunnery at Faughart, Co. Louth (LH004-097001-), the birthplace of St. Bridget (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 384). St. Moininne also visited St. Iobhar at Beggerin (WX038-004001-), but St. Bridget’s gift of a vessel miraculously travelled to Killevy on Slieve Gullion, Co. Armagh, where Moininne founded a convent (Ó Riain 2011, 495-7) that later became a convent of Augustinian nuns which survived until the Suppression (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 321; Neill 2009, 484-94).

Only the tower at the W end remains (ext. dims 5.7m E-W; 5.4m N-S; H c. 7.5m) lacking a batter and dressed quoins. The destroyed entrance to the tower (from the church) is at E and was protected by a murder-hole in the lobby. A destroyed inner doorway leads to the ground floor under a N-S barrel-vault with window embrasures (destroyed) in the N, W and S walls. There is a build-up of material inside and the bases of the windows are now at ground level but there was a loft beneath the vault supported on beam-holes in the E and W walls. From the lobby a mural stairs rises in the E and N walls to the first floor lintelled doorway at the NW angle. This floor is over the vault and has a window embrasure with seats in the S wall, and a damaged window embrasure in the W wall. The round-headed S window re-uses stones from an earlier twelfth century window. The stone is a green stone and has an outer rebate for a shutter. The E wall has an alcove with a spy-hole to the nave and also commands the murder-hole. A large opening in the E wall may have been a doorway leading to a gallery over the W end of the nave, or it may be damage. The ceiling of the first was supported on joists set into the E and W walls and on a rebate on the other walls.
The NE angle of the tower is destroyed, but an entrance here at the first floor led to a mural stairs rising in the N wall to the second floor, which had a doorway, now destroyed, in the centre of the N wall. This floor has windows with seats in the W and S walls. The stairs continue in the N wall, probably emerging on the wall walk at the NW angle. John O’Donovan writing c. 1840 describes a bellcote with two openings in the S wall (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 74 5) that may still survive but is obscured by ivy. There is a bullaun stone (WX042-021002-) c. 50m to the SW in Woodstown townland and the site of St Mannan's Well (WX042-022----), where patterns were held on July 6th (ibid., 75), lies c. 320m to the SSE.
The tower was conserved during 2019 in a project funded by Wexford County Council. It involved removing the ivy when the discovery of the twelfth century window was made. Much of the masonry was re-pointed. Holes in the vault were repaired and the ground floor made secure and inaccessible. Vertical cracks in the structure were filled and secured with tie rods. The NE angle was re-built and the S embrasures on the top floor had to be rebuilt. The top of the walls retains the original drain-holes but the walls are re-flaunched. (McLoughlin 2020)

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: 27 May, 2013
Amended: 2 Sep. 2013; 21 April, 2020

References

Neill, K. 2011 An archaeological survey of county Armagh. Belfast. Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

McLoughlin, C. 2020 Report on Conservation works at Kilmannon Church, Glebe, Co. Wexford. Unpublished report, Stafford McLoughlin: Archaeology/Heritage/Conservation