What is recorded here

Three vaulted chambers and a well still lie hidden beneath the ancient church at Rathaspick, though no surface marker remains. They resisted the surveyors who drew County Laois in 1839 and 1909, proving that some local knowledge lives below the reach of official instruments. The chambers may have served worship, storage or refuge, yet their absence from public view preserves the mystery that made them worth remembering.

Not marked on the 1839 or 1909 editions of the OS 6-inch maps. Reference to three vaulted chambers under the site of the buildings (Comerford 1886, vol. 3, 132). No visible surface remains. Described in the History of The Queens County as 'At Rathaspick and under the site of its ancient church (LA025-023001-), three vaulted chambers were found and there also was discovered a well (LA025-023003-)' (O'Hanlon and O'Leary 1907, vol. 1, 59). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 December 2007

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.