Drumcreehy Church (in ruins) — Bishopsquarter

Prominently sited on top of a low NE–SW ridge from which ground falls away gently across the road to NW and slightly more steeply away to S, in an area of good quality meadowland. Indicated and named ‘Drumcreehy Church in ruins’ on the 1842 and 1915 eds. of the OS 6-inch maps. According to Swan (1991, 105), tradition associated ‘Maccreiche’ with the site, detailed as ‘Mac Reithe of Kilmacrehy’ by Ó Riain (2011, 420–23) and reputedly buried at Kilmacreehy church (CL015-083001-), in Laghcloon townland, on the north shore of Liscannor Bay (Swinfen 1992, 62–4). Westropp (1900-02, 130) describes it as an early church probably of the 11th century. It was recorded as ruined as early as 1615 (Swinfen 1992, 18). It is also known locally as Bishop’s Quarter church and St Colman’s Abbey (Large 2010). An ENE–WSW orientated rectangular structure comprising a long chancel (int. L 15.8m; Wth 6.6m; wall T 0.75–0.8m) and a shorter ruined nave (int. L 6.2m; Wth 5.5m; wall T 1.15). It is built of large roughly dressed and coursed rectangular limestone blocks facing a mortared rubble core and an anta projects from the corner of the E gable where it meets the N sidewall. The N and S walls (H 4 .4m), and the E gable (H c. 7.5m) survive to full height. A string-course of rough stones survives on top of half the length of the N wall. The corresponding part of the S wall is obscured by dense ivy cover. The chancel is entered through a well-preserved doorway (H 2.1m; Wth 1.15m) at the W end of the N wall. It has a pointed arch with a series of narrow rectangular orders filling the spandrels and culminating in a rectangular hood-moulding with horizontal stops. Internally a plain lintel forms a flat relieving arch and a well-preserved hanging-eye survives on the W side. The E gable is lit by a tall narrow pointed window (Wth 0.18m; H 2.5m) set in a fine round-arched embrasure with rolled hood-moulding. The sill of the embrasure is obscured by later mortared infilled stone and a drystone clearance wall along the base of the E gable. A line of well-dressed chamfered blocks (L 1.9m) which project W from under the clearance wall (distance of 0.3m) and appear centred on the E gable window may be the base of an altar. The S wall has a similar but smaller window (H 1.9m; Wth 0.16m) to that in the E gable. However, its fine embrasure has the remains of a fractured hood-moulding and the sill line is marked by a heavy chamfered moulding. The W gable is almost destroyed and only the S end of the chancel arch remains. The interior of the chancel is filled with burials of 19th to 20th-century date. These include the grave of Judge Comyn who was noted for providing local employment in phosphate mines at Noughaval during World War II (Swinfen 1992, 19). The nave is very ruined. The N sidewall and W gable are largely collapsed and covered with ivy. The S wall contains a narrow rectangular window (Wth 0.25m; H 1.25m) at its E end. It is set in a rectangular embrasure (Wth 1.05m; H 1.7m) which runs to the ground below the sill-line of the window-ope, suggesting that it was originally a doorway into which the window was inserted. The W end of the nave is filled with grassed-over collapsed stone (H 2m). The W gable survives highest on its external corner where it meets the N sidewall (H 1.6m). A rough path on built-up ground outside the gable gives access to the nave and a modern plaque set on the outer top of the wall carries the inscription ‘St Colemans Abbey’. The church stands at the N end of a subrectangular graveyard (CL002-014003-) and roughly at the centre of the older ecclesiastical enclosure (CL002-014001-). A shell midden (CL002-014004-) lies just W of its W gable. The following image has been uploaded: CL002-014002-_01.jpg View of well-preserved doorway in N wall. CL002-014002-_02.jpg Interior of doorway in N wall. CL002-014002-_03.jpg Possible altar footings under E window. CL002-014002-_04.jpg E interior from W. CL002-014002-_05.jpg Interior of blocked door in S wall reused as a window. CL002-014002-_06.jpg View of church interior from W. CL002-014002-_07.jpg Overall view of church from NE. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin Date of upload: 29 September 2021