What is recorded here

Knockane Church stands on a slight rise above the Gaddagh river, its graveyard holding the Macgillycuddy’s of the Reeks since the fourteenth century. A split ogham stone from that yard survives in Dublin, preserving only MAQI RECTA after losing its beginning to breakage. The church remained active through the seventeenth century, witnessed by ministers and royal visits, while the stone waited patiently for someone to read what remained.

Knockane Church/ Teampall an Chnocáin: The remains of this church are located on a slight rise in a graveyard (KE065-012003-) situated a short distance E of the Gaddagh river. Ó Cíobháin suggests that it is to be identified with the parish church noted in Papal Annates of 1433, 1479, 1487 and 1511 (1985, lxx). It was described in 1615 as 'up and well' (Royal Visitation), and in 1622 was included in a list of parochial churches in the diocese. Its incumbent minister in 1633 was Willmus Lane, who was also minister of ‘Dunlo’ (TCD MS 2158 94, 37). The graveyard is the burial place of the Macgillycuddy’s of the Reeks, a branch of the O’Sullivan Mores who were associated with nearby Dromaloughane castle (KE065-059----). A nineteenth-century Protestant church stands close to the N side of the Medieval remains. An ogham stone (KE065-012004-), now in NMI (1885:432; see DU018-176----), may derive from this site. Rhys, quoting from Graves, recorded that this stone was found in a churchyard ‘near Killorglin’ (1902, 16), while Macalister, also quoting Graves, recorded that it was first seen ‘standing in the churchyard at Knockane’ (1945, 248-9). The ogham stone measures 1.15m x .35m x .11m, and is split length-wise in half, removing the initial portion of the inscription. Macalister read the remainder, along the sinister angle, as: MAQI RECTA The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1089. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013

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