Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a N-facing slope within the promontory fort (WX044-002001-). This is a fortified church of the 15th century dedicated to St. Catherine. It was a chapel-of-ease in Dunbrody parish, and probably served a grange or out-farm of the Cistercian abbey (WX039-030001-). It is a rectangular structure (int. dims. 12.95m E-W; 6.25m N-S) surviving almost complete, except most of the N wall. The E (T 0.95m) and W walls have a base batter but the S wall (T 0.9m) has none. There are opposing doorways towards the W end of the long walls, that on the N was pointed (du Noyer 1864-6, 32-4) but is now destroyed, while the S doorway (Wth 0.9m) is lintelled. There was a small ogee-headed niche on the outer face of the N wall c. 1.5m off the ground and just E of the doorway that du Noyer interpreted as a shelf for a lantern. There are two rectangular windows with glazing bars and grooves in the S wall E of the doorway, but a rectangular window to the W of the doorway is destroyed. The E window has two lights with cusped ogee heads and tracery above with glazing grooves. The tracery is confined within a rectangular frame. A lintelled doorway at the N inner end of the W wall leads to a mural stairs in the W wall, from which a lintelled doorway leads to a gallery or chamber which has a fireplace in the W wall. This floor was supported on corbels in the N and S walls and a single corbel survives at the W end of the N wall. The mural stairs continue in the W wall to the wall walk at the SW corner, but the parapet is completely destroyed. There is no indication of an enclosure or burial associated with the church. (Hore 1901-11, vol. 3, 250-56)

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: 18 June, 2013

References

Du Noyer, G. V. 1864-6 Notes on some peculiarities on ancient and medieval Irish ecclesiastical architecture. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 8, 27-40.