churches historical ireland

An interesting collection of medieval monuments comprising a fine motte and bailey, a church and a castle. The motte was built by the English of Leinster beside the River Suir when they were on a raid against Donal Mor O'Brien, King of Thomond, in 1192. It was given by the King to William de Braose, but later taken from him and granted to philip of Worcester.

Nearby is a ruined 13th century nave-and-chancel church with an east window inserted in the 15th century. A few hundred yard...

Knock Shrine attracts one and a half million pilgrims every year. Private pilgrimages take place all year with a special programme of ceremonies and devotions between April and October. Increasing numbers of pilgrims prompted the then Parish Priest, Monsignor James Horan to build the largest church in Ireland at Knock. In 1976 the Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland was opened here, with accommodation for over 12,000 people. The gable of the old church where the apparition took place...

The Catholic Church has inside the gate an octagonal stone font with two sections .

The Celtic Cross was erected in the grounds in 1870 in memory of Fr Nicholas sheehy, one of the five people hanged in Clonmel in 1776 on perjured evidence for an alleged murder.

The shaft in the mode of the early Christian high crosses, bears a wide range of religious cum nationalist themes including the Good Samaritan , and Daniel O'Connell with the Catholic Emancipation Act. St Patrick...

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...

It appears to have been a very large building, containing no less than seven chapels: St. Martin's, St. Patrick's, St. Peter's, St. John the Baptist, St. George's and St. Anne's, the principal one supporting two chaplains. The steeple of this church "supposed to be the highest in the world was thrown down by a violent storm at Midnight 27th January 1548", and replaced by a steeple of wood. When, from the end of the 13th century, "The men of English blood or birth" appointed to the Primacy were...

This church is situated on the south side of the town was built between 1852 and 1858 to the design of McCarthy. This beautiful church contains some of the best work of Albert Power, Mia Cranwell and Harry Clark....

A monastery had probably been founded on the site some time before 800 by a St. Luran, but the first historical reference to a church here dates from 1195. Fragments of a 13th century successor have been built into the present ruined structure, erected c.1620, at around the time when Allan Cook was founding the town which bears his name. The church is a long, single-cell structure with its east end lit by a window with degenerate but well-preserved (restored) switch-line tracery. There are fou...

This great monastery was founded in 548-9 by St. Ciaran, who sought peace here when he abandoned his cell on Hare Island in Lough Ree. Dermot, a local prince, helped him erect the first posts for his church and, when Dermot was elected High King shortly afterwards, he richly endowed the monastery. Although St. Ciaran did not live long after the foundation, the monastery grew rapidly. It was plundered six times between 834 and 1012, and burned 26 times between 841 and 1204. In 845 Turgesius,...

Crookedwood, almost 7 miles from Mullingar, dates back to the old legends of Fionn and the Fianna. A 14th century stone roofed church, called the Church of Taughmon can be found here and behind it lies a ring fort. If you return to the main road and take the direction of Castlepollard, you can see Lough Derravaragh, associated with the legend of "The Children of Lir" changed into swans for 900 years by their jealous stepmother, they spent 300 years of that time on this lake before being return...

Built on a miniature scale, these ruins remained undiscovered until 1876. St. Kevin was a close friend of St. Kieran. When hearing of Kieran's impending death he hastened to Clonmacnoise to be with his friend to the end, but he arrived too late and found Kieran laid out for burial. However, by heavenly dispensation Kieran's beatified spirt returned to his body so that he could bid farewell to his dearest friend. Kieran died in 547 AD at the age of 33, just seven months after founding his fam...