Church in Blessington

A church is indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) parish map of ‘Collumkill’ in the townland of ‘Lisnomanahin’ (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). The terrier accompanying the parish map states, 'There stands…on Lisnemanaght the walles of a Ruined Church & not anymore to be Observed except cabbins’ and lists the proprietor in 1640 as the Earl of Ormond (NLI MS720). The church appears to be also indicated on the barony map of Gowran, it is at the same location though, as it was drawn without a cross, it has been misinterpreted as a building (KK029-039002-) rather than a church (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 4, 274), the townland name, ‘Blessington’ is ‘Lisnamannaghth’ in Irish, ‘or the fort of the blessings. In old records Blessington sometimes appears as Lisnamannagh, or fort of the monks; but though the townland formerly belonged to the religious of the Priory of Inistioge, this form of the name is , nevertheless, incorrect’. Carrigan (ibid.) describes a ‘rath’ in the townland (KK029-019----) and, ‘Immediately beside the latter, to the east, is a piece of land measuring about half an acre, broken up with little hillocks and depressions, and evidently the site of an ancient building. Here, most probably, stood a farm-house belonging to the Priory of Inistioge, and attached to it, though now cleared away and forgotten “the walls of a ruined church” of the Down Survey Map’. The precise location of this church within the townland is unknown, though based on Carrigan’s description it is possibly in a field immediately E of the ‘rath’ or enclosure mentioned above. See attached: KK029-039001-_01 extract from Down Survey (1655-6) parish map of Columbkille (Hib. Reg., courtesy of Trinity College Dublin) KK029-039001-_02 extract from Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran (Hib. Reg., courtesy of Trinity College Dublin) Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 21 March 2022