Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight E-facing slope and c. 170m from the W bank of the N-S Owenduff/Corock river. The fortified church of Clonmines known as the 'Cowboy's Church', is at the E edge of the rectangular graveyard (dims 70m N-S; 56m E-W) of the parish church (WX045-012007-) of St. Nicholas. The graveyard is defined by a masonry wall at N and by earthen banks and trees on the other sides. The church is a rectangular building (ext. dims 11.45m E-W; 7.77m N-S) surviving complete to the stepped battlements with granite quoins, and all the dressed stone is granite. There is a pointed doorway (Wth 0.71m; H 1.63m) towards the E end of the N wall, with an arched embrasure (Wth 2.1m; H1.1m; D 0.62m) on the outer face of the wall just to its W that could have served as an ossuary or temporary store for bones. The main round-headed doorway (Wth 0.96m; H 1.92m) is centrally placed in the W wall and is protected by machicolation at the parapet. The doors lead directly into a single cell (int. dims 8.42m E-W; 4.72m N-S), but a stoup and with a pyramidal base has been removed from inside the W doorway. The W part of this chamber is roofed with a barrel-vault, but the E part over the chancel is roofed with a groin-vault. There is a two light pointed window with a square hood in the E wall and at the E end of the S wall. There is a single tall ogee-headed window towards the W end of the S wall and another towards the E end of the N wall. A piscina from beneath the E window of the S wall is now removed, but there is a plain aumbry at the E end of this wall and a niche at the E end of the N wall. Three consecration crosses incised on the wall plaster are now almost invisible.
A newel stairs at the NW angle leads to a gallery over the W end of the church that was supported on corbels in the N and S walls. It was lit by a single ogee-headed window in the W wall. The newel stairs continue to the parapet on top of the vaulted roof. There is a rectangular enclosed look-out platform over the stairs-housing at the NW angle, which is accessed by external steps on the S wall. There is a two-storey D-shaped turret at the NE angle, its straight sides being aligned with the N and E church walls. Its base has an opening (Wth 0.6m; H 0.9m) leading to a subcircular corbelled chamber (diam. 1.23-1.35m; H 1.35m) that has been interpreted as an oven by Du Noyer (1864-6, 35-40), but it may have no function other than to raise the upper storey of the turret to the same height as its companion on the NW angle without overstressing the structure with solid masonry. There is an opening (Wth 0.7m; H 1.7m) from the roof through the parapet at W that has been interpreted as an entrance reached by ladder from the ground, but this feature may have been a bellcote.

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: 22 July 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.