Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight E-facing slope and c. 190m from the W bank of the N-S Owenduff/Corock river. The fortified parish church of Clonmines dedicated to St. Nicholas is within a rectangular graveyard (dims 70m N-S; 56m E-W) defined by a masonry wall at N and by earthen banks and trees on the other sides. An ecclesiastical court was convened here by Archdeacon Neville of Ferns in June 1460 to condsider the candidature of a new priest for the church of St. Martin at Rathmacknee (WX042-029002-), or the court may have convened at the nearby fortified church (WX045-012006-) the might have just been built (Doyle 1925). According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 Richard Allen was the priest, and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 269).
This is a nave (ext. dims. 17.45m E-W; 8.3m N-S) and chancel (ext. dims. 9.6m E-W; 7.1m N-S) church with a tower (ext. dims. 5.9m N-S; 4.65m E-W) attached to the W end of the nave. The nave walls (max. H c. 1.2m) have gaps towards the W end of the N (Wth 1.9m) and S (Wth 1.2m) walls that are probably the location of doorways, but no other features are evident. The pointed chancel arch (Wth 5.1m; H c. 6m) leads to the chancel, the walls (H 1.8-2.6m) of which are in better condition and have good quoins. There is a blocked and damaged two-light window (Wth 0.67m) towards the E end of the S wall (H c. 1.8-3.4m), with a round-headed piscina (Wth 0.24m; H 0.41m; D 0.34m) of dressed granite and a plain aumbry (Wth 0.31m; H 0.3m; D 0.3m) built into the blocking of its embrasure on the inside. Only the sill of the two-light E window (Wth 1m) survives in the E gable (max. surviving H 5.3m). There is a round-headed doorway (Wth 1.04m; H 2.6m) of undressed stone towards the E end of the N chancel wall (max. H 3.4m).
The ivy-covered tower (H c. 9-10m) has chamfered granite and Dundry quoins and a slight base-batter. It appears to have been added to the nave as its pointed doorway (Wth 1.9m; H 1.8m) at the E end of the N side, is abutting the W gable. The interior (int. dims 3.6m N-S; 2.3m E-W) has a N-S barrel vault (H 3.6m) with wicker centring that was inserted as its supporting wall on the E side partly blocks the N doorway. A rectangular hole (dims 0.6m x 0.5m) at the S end of the vault may have provided ladder access to the two upper floors, or been a guide-hole for a bell-rope. Pointed windows at the first and second floors on the N side are the only identifiable features, apart from the overhang of the parapet on the W side. The fortified church (WX045-012006-) is 3.75m to the NE, and the site of St. Nicholas’ Well (WX045-012008-) is c. 180m to the ENE.

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
Amended: 2 Sep. 2013

References

Doyle, Rev. P.A. 1925 Given in the church of St. Nicholas, Clonmines. The Past, vol. 3, 65-75.