Church & Castle (in Ruins) — Rathbeagh

On E side of a graveyard (KK009-048003-), on the brow of a gentle E-facing slope, commanding a fine view from NNW-E-SE. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 323-5) this parish church, 'dedicated to St. Catherine, Virgin and Martyr, (Nov. 25th), was thrown down about 1700, and a Protestant church erected, at the same time, on its foundations'. The residential tower (KK009-048002-) or 'ancient presbytery' as Carrigan (ibid.) refers to it, was attached to the W end of the medieval church and was retained, as was the E gable of the medieval church. The residential tower was accessed via a doorway at ground-floor level at the S end of the E wall of the tower. The late 17th/18th-century undivided church (int. dims. 10.5m x 6.5m) utilized the existing E wall of the earlier church and the E wall of the residential tower. The side walls, constructed of roughly coursed limestone rubble, formerly rendered externally with plaster, are set back slightly from the former line of the N and S walls of the earlier church. It is entered via a rough uncut doorway (H 1.6m; Wth 1.32m) at the W end of S wall. A large round-headed window, the head of which is composed of wedge-shaped voussoirs, dominates the E gable. Internally, both the side walls (T 0.7m) have applied arcades (S arcade L 7.55m; H 3.1m; T 0.75m) which form deep, straight-sided embrasures (H 2.3m; Wth 1.7m) around both the doorway and windows of the S wall, and the windows in corresponding positions in the N wall. The N arcade (L 5.85m) contains two round-headed windows which have been blocked up. A series of joist-holes just above the line of the arcades in the N and S walls, and the E gable, suggest that there was a floor above. The church has undergone numerous repairs by the local landlord throughout the 19th century. Within the graveyard there are panels from a 17th-century chest tomb (KK009-048006-) and graveslab (KK009-048004-) dated c. 1600. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 6 February 2018