Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a slight rise c. 220m NNE of the head or N end of Lady’s Island Lough, which was called Lough Togher by Synnott c. 1680 (Hore 1862, 62; 1921, 55), and on the E side of a N-S road. The parish church of St Iberius' parish is within a subrectangular graveyard (dims c. 45m N-S; 40m E-W) defined by masonry walls. Only the W gable (L 8.95m; T 1.15m; H 4.5m) with a small window, putlog-holes, and a base-batter (max. H 1.8m) survives, together with attached parts of the N (L 2.5m; H 0.8m) and S (L 4.3m; max. H 1.8m) clay-bonded walls. The S wall has a round-headed doorway of undressed stone (Wth 0.94m; visible H 1m). John O'Donovan writing c. 1840 (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 1, 302 3) describes the nave (int. dims. 27ft x 15ft 10in; c. 12.7m x 4.8m) and chancel (int. dims. 22ft 4in x 14ft 4in; c. 6.8m x 4.35m) with a round chancel arch. There is an illustration by Wakeman in Hore (1900-11, vol. 5, 7). In 1887 a crucifixion figure (H c. 12cm) was found at the head of the lake close to the church and a tale relating the loss of the figure and the destruction of the church by Cromwell is well-known (OSFM 1940). The crucifix is now displayed in the Catholic Church of the Assumption c. 700m to the S. (Hore 1949, 48-9)

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: 9 January, 2014

References

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.

Hore, P.H. 1949 The barony of Forth. Part IV. The Past 5, 13-59.

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