Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in a slight hollow in a gently undulating landscape. The church is depicted as a small rectangular structure described as St. Catherine’s Chapel in gothic lettering within a rectangular enclosure (dims c. 40m NE-SW; c. 30m N-W) on the 1839 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. This is a possible Catholic church of the Penal era as it is not listed by Synnott writing c. 1680 about neglected churches in Forth (Hore 1862, 66-9; Hore 1921, 57-61). The church is sited within a raised D-shaped grass and scrub-covered area (dims. 43m E-W; 32m N-S) defined by a scarp (H 1.8-2m) and a slight outer fosse (Wth of base 2-2.4m; D 0.6m at W to 1.6m at E) that was a rath which is truncated at S by the E-W Rosslare to Waterford railway line. The church is a rectangular structure (ext. dims 6.2m E-W; 4.9m N-S) defined by low earthen banks (max. H 0.5m), with outer fosses or ditches (Wth 2.1m; max. D 0.4m). There is no evidence of burial. St Catherine's Well (WX047-017----) is c. 220m to the SSE.

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: 17 October, 2013

References

Hore, P.H. 1921 The barony of Forth, Part 2. The Past 2, 38-99.

Hore, H. F. 1862 An account of the barony of Forth, in the county of Wexford, writtten at the close of the seventeenth century. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 7, 53-84.