Killalough (site of)

No surface remains visible of possible church site only marked as 'Killalough (Site of)' on the revised 1927 ed. OS 6-inch map. No antiquity marked at this location on the first ed. OS 6-inch map. The church site was marked on the map based on folklore recorded by Lynch (1913, 10) who wrote that 'an old man also told me that Killallough means "church of the lake", the site of the church being, he said, marked by the mound at some distance north of the hill, and near the edge of the lake, at the east side of the causeway of the Black Castle (LI032-031----). This church, he further said, was the church of the Desmond period, and was superseded by the new church (LI032-024001-) built by Rachel, Dowager Countess of Bath. An old road leading to the Desmond church, which, he said was locally called the Round Church, is named Bothairin na gCapall, "the little road of the horses". A portion of this road leading through Rusheen ("the little wood"), at the east side of the hill of Killalough, is still left, and near its junction with road leading to Holy Cross Crofton Croker locates a pillar stone (LI032-061----)'. In 1944 the site was described as following; 'No trace survives and nothing is known of it. A slight mound of earth and stones to the SE of the Black Castle is the site given for it on the O.S.' (O'Kelly 1944, 30). A tree marks the site of this possible church site. This area in the medieval period was underneath the water of Lough Gur and is an unlikely location for a church. No church was located here in the 1680s when Thomas Dineley visited the adjacent site of Black Castle (LI032-031----) and when he drew a sketch of the area no church was indicated at this location. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 19 September 2018