What is recorded here

Indicated is a ruined abbey in County Offaly where St. Carthach founded a monastery in the sixth century. Its remains include two churches, a graveyard, a monastic enclosure and a possible tower house whose vaulted chamber still stands beside the burial ground. A sheela-na-gig emerged from those walls during a burial excavation in 1971, reminding visitors that the place has kept both worship and secrecy.

Associated with St. Carthach who founded a monastery here in the sixth century. Present remains consist of two churches (OF016-015001-; OF016-015010-), a graveyard (OF016-015002-), a possible tower house, a monastic enclosure (OF016-015005-) and an unlocated Early Christian cross-slab (OF016-015003-). Depicted as 'Abbey (in Ruins)' on current edition of the OS 6-inch map. The possible tower house (ext. dims. 5.4m N-S x 10.1m E-W; wall T 0.8-1m) with slight base batter has been previously classified as a church is located in the E corner of the Roman Catholic cemetery and is poorly preserved with traces of a barrel vault over the ground floor the springing of which is visible at the E end of the building, no other architectural features are visible. John O'Donovan speculated in the OS Letters that 'the old vault standing near the old Church of Rahan is a part of this castle [Anglo-Norman castle]' (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 49). A sheela-na-gig (OF016-015006-) was discovered in 1971 in the ruined walls of a possible tower house which may have come out of an excavation for a burial N of and adjacent to the NW angle of the castle (Newman Johnson 1971, 169-70). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien. Date of upload/revision: 28 December 2011

St. Carthach founded a monastery at Rahan Demesne in the 6th century, establishing an important early Christian site. The location remains significant for its historical religious associations and surviving medieval structures.

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