Gaile Church (in Ruins), Grave Yard

In grassland on the S-facing slope of high ground with good panoramic views in all directions. This ivy-covered ruinous church (int. dims. 6.5m N-S; 15m E-W; wall T 0.9m) is built with roughly coursed limestone rubble. The N and S wall and W gable stand to full height while the E gable survives approx. 2m high. A broken-out doorway is W of centre in the S wall; two chamfered archstones of this doorway have been incorporated into styles located to the N of the church. A hanging-eye survives just inside the doorway on the W side of the doorway embrasure. There is a single-light window in the centre of the W gable, a broken-out window in the E gable, a broken-out window E of centre in the S wall and a broken-out window E of centre in the N wall. Several architectural fragments have been inserted into the graveyard as grave-markers, possibly during a clean-up scheme, and the graveyard wall has been rebuilt in places with concrete blocks, particularly on the W and S stretches of the graveyard wall. The church is located on the NW boundary of the graveyard (TS053-005002-), with the graveyard wall running off the NE angle of the church and returning S and west before returning onto the centre of the W gable of the church. Earlier grass-covered wall-footings of the graveyard are visible 6m to N of the church and an external fosse runs along outside of this boundary and around the church to E and S and W. At S and E, the enclosure (TS053-005003-) is approx. 25m away, and at N and W approx. 6m away, from the existing graveyard wall. This appears to be the remains of an earlier enclosure which defines a larger burial area than the existing 19th-century graveyard boundary wall. Running off this earlier boundary are several earthworks which appear to represent small rectangular fields to N, E and S of church. These could be settlement earthworks associated with the church or may be quarry holes associated with the nearby church, similar to quarry earthworks to the N of Ballytarsna church (TS053-009----). The OS Letters describe, in 1840, a ruinous church with destroyed S doorway, E gable and E window, with a square belfry on the W gable of which no remains survive, and there was a broken-out doorway directly opposite the main doorway in the N wall (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 105 ). This latter doorway has subsequently been blocked up, but the church does not appear to have deteriorated much since the 1840 inspection. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011