churches historical ireland

Dominated by St. Kierons statue, an enclosure is made by the positioning of several large stones, possibly the remnants of a vanished megalithic tomb. The shrine was the site of an all night vigil on the last Sunday in July, culminating with a Feis at Tracht....

Standing in a secluded grove of fir trees by the Glendassan river, 1 km east of the "city" by way of the Green road, the Priory of St. Saviour is said to have been founded in 1162 by St. Laurence O'Toole. The association of the Priory with the saint is borne out by the fact that its location is called Glenlorcan. The Priory has been beautifully restored by the Office of Public Works and is now a much-admired example of Irish-Romanesque architecture....

Little is known of the history of this church other than that it was dedicated to St. Farannan. The saint exiled himself from here to the Continent where he died at Waser on the Meuse in 982. the church consists of a nave and chancel, with finely ornamented west doorway and chancel arch.
The door has good Romanesque decoration, a hood above it, and is said to have contained a tympanum with a cat with two tails (probably a lion). Above the chancel arch, which has well-preserved capitals, i...

Croagh Patrick is located about 8km from Westport on the Louisburgh Road. Croagh Patrick is a sacred and beautiful hill. From most points of view, it rises from the sea on the southern shore of Clew Bay as a perfect cone to the height of 764 metres (2,510 feet). There are larger and loftier masses of mountain in Ireland, but none so striking from its isolation....

A long rectangular church which served the parishioners of the Six Towns area during the later medieval period. Surviving decorative stonework suggests that a 13th century church was replace by another in the later medieval period. What is perhaps of greater interest is the collection of 18th century grave-stones well carved in high relief, which are found in and around the church, where more recent burials are absent....

The monastery was founded early in the 7th century by St. Colman son of Duagh, a member of one of the local royal families. It has one of the finest collections of churches in Ireland. The most conspicuous feature is the excellently preserved Round Tower which shares a lean with its more famous counterpart at Pisa.
br> Beside it is the Cathedral, of which the west gable, with its blocked-up flat-headed doorway (11th - 12th century), is the earliest part. The rest of the nave dates largely...

Ballyporeen in whose cruciform church (1828) a Michael Reagan, great-grandfather of USA President Ronald Reagan , was baptised on 3 September 1829. a handsome parish publication traces roots.

A pub flourishes the President's name - beside the owner's name in gold lettering over a Victorian corner door. Templetenny Cemetery, burial place of the Reagans , is worth a visit....

Templecorran Cemetery which sits on part of the site of the ecclesiastical settlement, has a historical trail around it outlining important graves which relate to general Ulster history. The most imposing memorial in the cemetery is the large monumeny to James Orr, the Bard of Ballycarry, who is the Ulster equivalent of Scotland's Robert Burns....

Occupying the site of an earlier built by St Mogue in the 7th century, the earliest surviving feature is a 13th century east window. Just inside the gate is a graveslab with a carved cross, which dates from the 9th century....

Clonfeacle parish church (1618) located outside the priory gates, is one of the oldest churches in regular use in the province. Basically a hall (the belfry tower was added in 1892), the church has a seventeenth century font and bell and a monument to Captain James Hamilton. Hamilton was one of 3000 Scots killed at the battle of Benburb in 1646. Led by Major General Robert Monroe, the Scots were routed in a disastrous encounter with Owen Roe O'Neill, charismatic nephew of the great Hugh O'Neill....