What is recorded here

Glasmore Abbey is a square, one-storey limestone chamber set inside the Cianlea housing estate, north-west of Swords. It is not the desolate southern church where Viking raiders killed St Cronan, but a later structure into which medieval doorways and windows were forced. A local man told O'Donovan in 1836 that this was Glasmore Abbey, and that name has stuck despite the geography being wrong. The chamber still stands with dressed quoins, segmental arches and a pointed doorway raised above ground, while mortar washes out and graffiti marks the old insertions. It is less a ruined abbey than a room misnamed by memory, surrounded by new houses and stripped of most of its evidence.

Located within the open space of Cianlea housing estate. This square, enigmatic building is of post medieval date with medieval insertions. It survives to one storey height (int. dims.9.70m N-S, 9.20m E-W, wall T 0.85m) and is built of coursed limestone blocks with dressed quoins. Entered through a plain doorway in E end of N wall. There is also a pointed arched doorway with pocked dressing and moulding on the jamb stones, inserted above ground level in the N wall. This formerly provided access to an attached range. The interior is lit by two, featureless windows with segmental arches on the S wall, two oblong windows on the W wall and a narrow window in the E wall with two windows at a lower level. High levels of mortar wash out which has led to destabilisation and minor collapse. Medieval insertions have been subject to graffiti. Now fenced off. Known as Glassmore Abbey the site is located to the north-west of Swords. However the historical references to Glas Mar where St Cronan was killed by Viking raiders specifiy a 'desolate church to the south of Swords' (Stokes 1905). It was O'Donovan in the 19th century, on the basis of information given to him by a local man, who designated the site as that of Glasmore Abbey (1836). Test excavation (Licence no. 99E0536) was undertaken in advance of the surrounding housing estate development but nothing of archaeological significance was identified (Swan, 1999). Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Updated by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 03 January 2015

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.