Clogher Church (in ruins)

On top of S end of N-S ridge with good extensive views in all directions, with Clogher Castle and bawn (TS046-038---- and TS046-038001-) 250m to the N, at the end of the ridge. A rectangular church (ext. dims. 10m N-S; 21.7m E-W; wall T 1m) constructed from roughly coursed, limestone masonry with a base-batter. Two doorways survive directly opposite each other W of centre in N and S side walls. The S doorway has been reconstructed during a recent clean-up scheme which was carried out in 1991 (P. Holland 1991, Tipperary South Riding County Museum files) while only the lower jambs of a chamfered limestone doorway survive in the N wall. The internal face of the W wall has been re-pointed during the graveyard clean-up scheme. Two broken-out windows, E of centre, in both the N and S walls are opposite each other, and there is a small rectangular aumbry at the E end of the S wall. The E gable only survives four courses high, with no surviving remains of the original window. O'Donovan describes the church as an uninteresting ruin about three centuries old with all its features destroyed, with the gables being reduced to the height of the side walls and with a large gap in the E gable (O'Flanagan 1930, vol.1, 103). A possible roadway (TS046-039004-) in the field to the N appears to run between Clogher Church and Clogher Castle. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011

Clogher Church was likely built in the 13th or 14th century by a local ecclesiastical authority, possibly associated with the Cistercian order active in the region. Its rectangular plan and location suggest a medieval parish church, and its proximity to Clogher Castle indicates it may have served the local gentry and community; the church's ruins are significant as a remnant of the area's medieval religious and social history.