Cill ma Guaire (in Ruins)

At N end of graveyard (14596); possible holy well (14044) c. 60m to N. Ruinous rectangular church (13.5m E-W; 6.7m N-S). Walls (max. H 1m) mostly reduced to grass-covered foundations; surviving portion of visible masonry on S wall has well-squared rectangular blocks. Possible doorway (Wth 0.67m) with sillstone in situ, in centre of S wall. According to Guy's Topographical Dictionary (Grove White 1905-25, vol. 4, 204), '...at Kilmagoura...the grass-covered remains of [an] old abbey.' Not listed as a monastic foundation by Gwynn and Hadcock (1988). According to tradition, mass was celebrated here during Penal times (Dunworth 1989, 53). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Cill ma Guaire (Kilmagoura) was likely built by a local Christian community in the early medieval period, probably between the 7th and 10th centuries. Dedicated to Saint Guaire, the church reflects a typical early Irish monastic site, often associated with a holy well and graveyard, and represents the spread of Christianity in rural Ireland.