What is recorded here

Indicated is a lost ecclesiastical enclosure beside the River Liffey in County Kildare, where St. James’ Church and its graveyard still stand inside what may have been an early monastic site. Two parallel embankments once circled the land like a broken ring, but roads, trees and dried streams have since erased most of the shape. The place remains half-visible, holding church, graveyard and memory within a boundary that time has only partially forgotten.

In level pasture c. 135m NE of the E-flowing River Liffey. According to Killanin and Duignan (1967, 102), ‘St. James’ Church [KD029-005001-] and its graveyard [KD029-005004-] lie inside what was a large bivallate ring-enclosure (an early monastic site?’ The SW, W and N sections of an enclosing feature are recorded on the 1st ed. (1838) of the OS 6-inch map as two curving parallel embankments (est. max. Wth c. 25m) bordering a small stream flowing into the Liffey. While the enclosing elements are not shown at NE, their former continuation in this direction, until truncated by a road, is indicated by two parallel dashed lines (est diam. of enclosure c. 200m NE-SW). Vestiges of this possible enclosure are indicated on the latest ed. (1939-40) of the OS 6-inch map as a tree-clad scarp at SW, a pond at W and by dashed parallel lines WNW-NNE. The small stream has since dried up, but a curving depression (Wth c. 18m; D 1m) marks its former line W-N. The SW sector is overgrown with trees, while a second dried up curving watercourse may have marked the enclosing limits E-SE-S. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 27 August 2013

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