killeshin church

The site of an old monastery founded allegedly by St. Comdhan or Comghan towards the end of the 5th century. The last historical reference to the monastery is in 1082. An oratory here was destroyed in 1041 and the monastery was burned in 1077. The present church was built in the 12th century, and has one of the finest Romanesque doorways in the country. The doorway has four orders, with capitals bearing heads with intertwined hair, an arch with foliage and animal motifs, the whole being topped by a partially modern hood.

An inscription on the door which may possibly read 'A prayer for Diarmait King of Leinster' might refer to a king of that name who died in 1117, but the church was probably built some decades later. The chancel is a later addition to the church and in the north wall it has a window which is round-headed inside and pointed outside. There is an old font beside the door. A round Tower, 105 feet high, lay to the north-west of the church, but this was taken down in 1703 because the owner feared that it might fall on his cattle!