Kiltoom Church

This is an early ecclesiastical site with possible references from 8th and 9th century (O'Flanagan 1931, vol. 1, 50-1), and the parish church of Kiltoom which was impropriate to the Franciscans of Athlone by the early 15th century. It is listed as Kilcoma in the ecclesiastical taxation of Elphin in 1306 (Cal. doc. Ire., vol. 5, 224), and is situated on a shelf on the W-facing slope of a low hill. The church is a rectangular structure (ext. dims 22.55m E-W; 8.9m N-S), of which only the S wall survives almost complete (max. int. H 3.5m) with a 12th century round-headed window towards its E end and the remains of another window, but there is no evidence of a doorway. Only the footings of the other walls are intermittently visible, but 5m N of the N wall is a wall face, which might be a N aisle. It is within a D-shaped graveyard (RO045-199002-) (dims c. 60m N-S; c. 45m E-W) defined by a masonry wall which contains a graveslab (RO045-199006-) (dims 2.05m x 0.65m) dated 1683 commemorating William Kelly of Moyvenan (RO048-048----). It also contains architectural fragments (RO045-199005-) including a decorated Romanesque capital and fragments of two quern stones (RO045-199004-). St Patrick's Well (RO045-198----) is c. 220m to the N. The church and graveyard were conserved by FAS in the 1990s. (Ryan 1998) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010