Church (in Ruins) — Ballynakilly Lower

Church: A fiant of 1576 records the leasing of 'the rectory of Glanbehie' to Thomas Clinton (Hickson 1891, 48). In 1615 the 'vicarage of Glanbehy' was described as 'waste; voyde', but the church was included in a 1622 listing of parochial churches in the diocese (TCD MS 2158, 94). Its incumbent minister in 1633 was Thomas Harris, who was also minister of the parishes of Cahir and Killinane, and its patron was Edwardus Spring (ibid. 37). The parish church was recorded as being in ruins in 1756 (Smith 1756, 70). The poorly preserved, rectangular remains of this church stand in a graveyard (KE063-022----) on the E side of the Behy river, and measure 12.6m x 6.2m internally. The rubble-built, ivy-clad walls survive to a maximum height of 1.9m and are 1m thick. There is a 1.2m wide entrance gap towards the W end of the S wall. A large number of burials occupy its interior, while outside are numerous low upright slabs, some of which bear simple crosses. An inscribed grave-marker in the interior of the church carries a date of 1710. 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. 1086. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013