Kilbegly Church

During the middle ages this was probably a chapel-of ease to Moore parish church (RO054-024001-) in Tuam diocese, and it is situated on a hillock. The church may have an early origin. The holy well (RO054-026001-), church and townland were named after Beag Bile, a saint associated with Tullaghobegly church, Co. Donegal (DG025-024----), who was also honoured here. The saint's feastday fell on the 1st November (Ó Riain 2011, 91-2), and while the well had a pattern in the 19th century (OS Name Books) the date is unknown. The church is a rectangular masonry structure (int. dims 12.3m E-W; 4.9m N-S) with some large stones at the lower level suggesting two construction periods. Only the N, E, and the E end of the S walls survive (H 2m; T 0.7m), the rest being reduced to the foundations. There is a simple light towards the W end of the N wall, but no evidence of a doorway. The church is at the highest point of and towards the S edge of a subcircular ecclesiastical enclosure (RO054-027003-) (dims 108m N-S; 92m E-W) defined by an eroded earthen bank (Wth 4-6m; int. H 0.3-1.1m; ext. H 0.6-1.8m) reduced to a scarp (H 0.6m) SSW-W and with a fosse (Wth of top 5.6m; Wth of base 1.6m; int. D 1.8m; ext. D 0.6m) surviving at NE only. Two parallel banks 14m apart run E from the church to the enclosing bank which is surrounded by the wall of the graveyard (RO054-027002-) (dims c. 130m N-S; c. 95m E-W). Holy Well (RO054-026001-) is c. 260m to the SW. The original graveyard is depicted faintly on the 1837 ed. of the OS 6-inch map as a D-shaped area (dims c. 60m E-W; c. 50m N-S) extending E and S from the church. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 25 May 2017