Kilcooly Abbey

Detached circular-plan dovecote, built c. 1450, now disused. Domed corbelled rubble limestone roof with open oculus. Rubble limestone walls, with rubble limestone perches to interior. Square-headed door opening to north-west.

Doves were once commonly kept in Ireland, as they provided a source of meat, eggs, and manure. This is a rare example of a dovecote and its early date is of particular interest. The simple form of this building reflects its functional nature, and the corbelling technique used in its construction is long established in Ireland. This is an interesting structure in a remarkably intact and diverse group of demesne buildings including Kilcooly Abbey itself, its associated outbuildings and smaller dwellings, the Church of Ireland church, the old walled graveyard, the nearby ruined Cistercian Abbey, the boathouse, and the icehouse and Wellington monument in the former deerpark.