churches historical ireland

Situated on the site of an older monastery founded by St. Feichin of Fore in the 7th century, this is a 13th century or later church incorporating 12th century features including a doorway and mouldings at the corners. The doorway has an arch of heads covered by a hood moulding, and there may have been a tympanum.

The capitals have rather worn representations of imaginary beasts. The monks later moved to a spot 300 yards westwards, below the present quarry, where a church with an in...

An Early Christian monastery was founded here around 630 by St. Feichin who died of the plague in 664-5. At one time there were 300 monks in the monastery. It was burned in 771, 830 and again in 870, and a number of times in the course of the 11th and 12th centuries. From this old monastery one church - St. Feichin's - survives, standing in a graveyard above the road. Originally it was a simple rectangular building with antae, and with a Greek corss in relief over the flat-headed doorway. A c...

An early stone church with flat-headed doorway, and a chancel which was added later. It is surrounded by the remains of a stone wall....

The first monastery was founded by St, Brendan, who founded a convent for his sister here. Near the southern end of the graveyard is the Cathedral - a 15th century building incorporating a very fine window and a doorway of the late 12th century. Other fragments of the same date may be seen inside the church.

They may all have been removed here either from the Priory (see below) or may come from an earlier church on the site of the Cathedral. To the north of the Cathedral are the foun...

St. Selskar's church was founded possibly by the Roche family for the Canons Regular of St. Augustine and dedicated to SS Peter and Paul. The name may be a corruption of the work 'Sepulchre' as tradition says that the church was founded by a lady who thought that her betrothed had been killed on a Crusade to the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and who joined the monastery she had founded.

When her intended returned from the wars alive, he found his bride already a nun, and...

The remains of a Gothic church which was largely demolished in 1870. A medieval tower with a probably earlier, 12th century Romanesque doorway and a modern top still survives, together with the north wall of the church with its 15th century window. Below the later is a fine tomb dated 1622. Locked in the base of the tower is an interesting double-effigy tomb of the 15th century.

Knocktopher House nearby (private) incorporates part of the old Carmelite Friary of St. Saviour, while o...

A church, built around 1200, which served as an auxiliary to the Augustinian Priory of Mohill. The church has simple but attractive east and south lancet windows. The moulding on the outside of the east window ends with two upturned heads.

The plain north doorway was inserted in the 15th century. Beside the entrance to the graveyard an Ogham stone has been re-erected - it is the only one in Co. Leitrim. All that can be read of the inscription is the name of the person commemorate...

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....

This was the medval seat of the Bishops of Meath where an 18th century mansion designed by James Wyatt was ercted by Churc of Ireland Bishop Arthur Price. It was the site of a famous eary christian Monastery linked with St. Ultan after whom the holy well on the grounds of the church is named....

Temple Jarlath is situated near the town centre. It marks the site of an early monastic settlement dedicated to St Jarlath, Tuam's 6th century patron. The surviving ruins include a late 13th century parish church containing an east window in Transitional style.

A late medieval tower stands at the west end of the church. The 18th century O' Connor Donellan chapel is attached to the north wall. Temple Jarlath was traditionally the town graveyard but has been closed for burials since 1884/...