Church (site of) — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

The cross church of Moreen stands on a battleground where violence first touched the soil. Granite foundations still mark a rectangular room large enough for congregations, while double ditches enclose the place like a boundary drawn around memory. A strap tag from before the church appeared suggests people gathered there long before stone rose. The church did not arrive to an empty field; it arrived to a field already heavy with witness.

Known as the 'cross church of Moreen' it is said to have been built on a battleground (Ball & Hamilton, 1895, 134). Some sources identify Balally with the BALLYVROOLEF listed in the papal bull of 1179 (Cotter 1991). In 1297 a Plea Roll recorded a legal action between John le Botiller and the Abbot of Wetheney, Abbington, Co. Limerick 'as to the right of presentation to the church of Balihawly' (Mount 1990, 120). Remains comprise the foundation of a rectangular structure, built of undressed granite masonry (int. dims. L 10.40m, Wth 5.2m, Wall Wth 0.95m). A series of pits revealed during the excavation of the site produced a strap-tag with interlaced decoration of 7th-10th century date (Mount 1991, 23-24). Further excavations in 2003 revealed a double-ditched enclosure. Finds included a medieval rotary quern and coarse local ware. No structures were identified (O'Donnchadha, 2006, 106). Compiled by Geraldine Stout Date of upload: 26th April 2012

The church at Balally, also known as the 'cross church of Moreen,' may date to the late 12th century and is possibly linked to the site listed as Ballyvroolef in the 1179 papal bull. Its significance lies in its potential association with early Christian settlement and a historical battlefield.

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