Templecooey ruins and graveyard

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Former site of an early Christian church and graveyard set on a slope of a hill to the E of the Ballyquintin Road, c.4 miles SE of Portaferry.

Little remains of the church except what may be the low broken remnants of the random rubble walls in the midst of which a recently constructed open air stone altar covered by a small Bangor blue hipped roof on four columns of cemented round stones, now stands. Just to the W of the former church are various rough stones arranged in a almost grid pattern. These stones appear to be too close to each other to indicate individual graves.

The site has been recently ‘landscaped’ with round stone walls, concrete steps, metal railings and pavers. The site adjoins holy wells.

Historical information

Local tradition has it that a 7th century cleric now known as St. Cooey performed penitential exercises and drank at the adjoining wells. St. Cooey himself is, like many early Irish saints, a particularly elusive figure, however, a recent article has suggested that the name ‘Cooey’ may be a corruption of ‘Mochae’ the name of the founder of Nendrum, the most famous Ards saint. Mass was celebrated at Templecooey right up until the eighteenth century (though the church was probably in ruins long before this), and the site appears on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1834 as an ‘old burying ground’.

The area was ‘landscaped’ by local residents in 1977.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS6/3/32/1 Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32

Secondary sources
1 Rev. J. O’ Laverty, 'Diocese of Down and Connor Ancient and Modern' (1878, reprinted 1980), Vol.I p. 391
[O’Laverty’s
references to St. Cowey are confused and should be treated with caution.]
2 Gerard McCallum, "The Wells of St. Cooey", in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.2' (1978), p.10
3 Rev. J. Smyth, "Notes on the place names of the Parish of Portaferry", in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.5'
(1981), pp. 22-24
4 Eilis Fitzsimons, "Who was St. Cooey", in Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.17 (1993), p.10
5 St. Patrick’s Church Ballyphilip 1762-1962 [Souvenir booklet] (Portaferry, 1962), p.92
6 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, 'Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford'
(Belfast UAHS 1969), p. 22

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site of a former early Christian church with little discernible ruins. A modern style open air altar was added to the site in c.1977.