St Fineens Ch. (in ruins) — Quingardens

On generally level ground with a slight slope to the E. The River Rine flows N-S at the base of the hill 50m to the E, in marshy terrain. There is a modern housing estate to the NW. Quin Abbey lies c. 80m to the E. There are fair-good views in all directions, though the views are impeded to the E by Quin Abbey, to the S by a house and to the W by a housing estate. Listed erroneously in the SMR (1992) and the RMP (1996) as being in Commons townland. A parish church dedicated to St. Finghin which was built c. 1278 by Thomas de Clare (Westropp 1900-2, 148; Anon. 1900, 439). The church is surrounded by a graveyard (CL042-027004-), though only the area S of the church is enclosed and evident as a graveyard. A possible ecclesiastical enclosure (CL042-027007-) is indicated on the 1840 OS 6-inch map. An undivided church (24m E-W; 8.2m N-S), built of roughly coursed limestone rubble. The NW angle has been rebuilt and the N wall does not survive. A later wall has been built roughly on the line of the N wall, possibly incorporating some of the original masonry at foundation level. Particularly large blocks of masonry have been used in the lower courses of the W gable, up to c. 4m. Externally a clasping buttress projects from the NE and SW angle and two angle buttresses from the SE angle. Though built of well-cut ashlar masonry, these buttresses appear to be contemporary with the original 13th-century church. The SE buttresses (total H c. 4.6m) have a battered base (H c. 3m) and are capped with sloping masonry (H c. 0.6m), with a projecting roll-moulding running along the top and a concave moulding along the base of the slope. The buttress at the NE angle is taller, less well preserved at the top and takes a different form from those at the SE angle, in that it is a clasping buttress which wraps around the NE angle. The buttress at the SW angle was modified in the 15th century when a bell-tower was built on this angle. The bell-tower forms a slender square tower which rises above the apex of the church. Externally there is a string-course below the two upper floors and it is capped by crenellations which rest on a projecting stone course. The top floor has a flat-headed single-light window in the W and E face and a flat-headed two-light window in the N and S face, though the mullion is gone from the N window. The floor below has a flat-headed single-light window in the W face. At the N end of the W gable inside the church there is a narrow doorway which gives access to a small square vaulted chamber (1.3m x 1.3m) at the base of the bell-tower. This chamber is lit by a flat-headed loop in the N wall. A narrow rectangular chute (Wth 0.22m; D 1.35m) runs through the overhead vault along the N wall and is the width of the chamber, its function was presumably to facilitate the bell rope(s). The upper levels of the bell-tower were accessed from a flat-headed doorway at the S end of the W gable just below roof level, presumably accessed from a wooden stair within the church. There are traces of external harling on the E gable which also has a number of put-log holes, particularly above window height. The church may originally have been entered through a W doorway, as disturbed masonry suggests there was a centrally placed doorway (H c. 2m; Wth c. 1.9m) in this gable. The surviving broken-out doorway, with hanging-eye and draw-bar hole, is at the W end of the S wall. The interior of the church was lit by a triple-light of graduated lancets in the E gable, two windows towards the E end of the S wall and a blocked up window at gallery level in the W gable. The westernmost window in the S wall is a pointed two-light, with external rebate and chamfer, and sandstone used in the easternmost window head. The stone at the base of the external masonry mullion (Wth 0.95m) is a reused chamfered window surround with mullion. The window closest to the altar is broken out, only the W side of the inner straight-sided embrasure survives. The large opening suggests that this was originally a two-light window. The W embrasure surround is moulded limestone, with a filleted roll-mould on the angle, flanked by a roll-mould on either side. The E window is flanked by two wall niches, a round-headed probable statue niche to the S and a slightly collapsed depressed arch niche to the N. See attached photographs: CL042-027003-_01 External view from the SW CL042-027003-_02 External view of E gable CL042-027003-_03 External view of E gable and N wall CL042-027003-_04 External view of W gable and W wall of bell-tower CL042-027003-_05 Interior E gable and S wall CL042-027003-_06 External view of two-light window in S wall CL042-027003-_07 Internal view of two-light window in S wall CL042-027003-_08 External view of broken out two-light window in S wall CL042-027003-_09 Detail of moulding on interior of broken out two-light window in S wall CL042-027003-_10 SW angle of church – interior Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 29 November 2017