churches historical ireland

The main item of interest is a stone cross having the features of a Celtic cross inscribed on one face of its imperforate ring, while the other face bears a boss. The cross may never have been finished. Built into the interior north wall of the dilapidated medieval church close by is the replica of a medieval effigy of an apparently male figure whose head, made of a different material and now lost, was sunk into its surface; it may have represented the local saint rather than having been a tom...

The monastery here was founded by St. Nassan. It was raided by Vikings several times throughout the centuries and then destroyed by Donal McLoughlin. Of the six churches that are said to have been built here only two remain. The first one you will come to, as it is near the road, dates from around the 12th century. It was used for a while as a parish church, and of interest are the stairs in the chancel walls that led to a gallery, now destroyed, and the square tower to the west. The second is s...

A resort town, 12 km from Ross, built along a fine beach in Moore Bay, the entrance which is protected from the full force of the Atlantic by a reef known as the Duggerna Rocks.

Kilkee has, of course, like virtually every townland in Ireland, an early history of saints and warriors but its career as a seaside resort took off in early Victorian times. The affluent families of Limerick City built themselves summer villas, "lodges", near the beach which offered safe swimming, ocean bree...

Preserved ruin of church dating back to 1262....

The church is situated at the east end of an island in Lough Gill, on the site of a monastery founded by St. Loman in the 6th century. The church, which formed part of an abbey, is rectangular in shape and has an unusual round-headed doorway. A number of manuscripts perished when the abbey was accidentally burned in 1416....

The saint's festival is on 16 July, when pilgrims come to the island from the mainland. The saint was venerated so much by sailors that they lowered their sails in his honour when they passed the island. The church is a small rectangular structure built of very large stones. It has a flat-headed doorway and a round-headed east window.

The most unusual feature of this church is that the antae continue right up the gable and meet at the top, thus suggesting that this is a feature copie...

Built in 1833 by Fr. Michael Tobin. 50 years later it has to be repaired by Rev. Maurice Mooney, P.P. an older Church than the present one had been erected on the spot in 1791. Prior to this parishioners worshipped in a thatched chapel which stood near the entrance gate to Cahir Park.

This Chapel was a chapel of the Penal Days, but the Butlers of that period were Catholics, therefore they provided the people of Cahir with a place of worship In 1895, Lady Charteris leased 3/4 acre of...

This Augustinian convent dates from the 13th century and is one of the few medieval convents remaining. There is a cloister with a refectory along its south wall and a church projecting from its east side. A window to the east and door to the north were inserted in the 15th century, the latter presumably to offer access directly to the church. To the south of the church is a room called ‘The Black Hag’s Cell’ where it is said that the last abbess practiced witchcraft; a legend perhaps dating fro...

A roughly square enclosure surrounded by a 6 ft high wall having, at two opposing corners, rounded bastions with arrow-slits. Remains of the gateway to the enclosure are preserved.
The wall resembles castle bawns, but inside, instead of a tower, there are just the remains of one central rectangular house and a number of subsidiary rectangular buildings.

Nothing is known about the history of the place, but it was possibly built by a retainer of the de Burgs as a fortified homestead...

Built into the modern Church of Ireland Cathedral of St. Feighlimidh is a fine 12th century Romanesque doorway which was removed from an early monastery on Trinity Island in Lough Oughter, three miles away.

In the rebuilding of the doorway in its present position, some of the stones have been incorrectly replaced....