Clomantagh Church (in ruins) — Clomantagh Lower

On gentle N-facing slope with good views from SSE-S-SW. Clomantagh Castle (KK013-002001-) and bawn (KK013-002002-) are located c. 130m to the N. There are earthworks (KK013-002005-) in the field immediately N of the graveyard (KK013-003002-). The church is located close to S boundary wall of the roughly rectangular graveyard. According to Healy (1874-9) it is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary whose feast day is the 8th of September. An undivided rectangular church (int. dims. 19.8m E-W x 6.7m N-S) composed of roughly coursed limestone rubble with larger blocks for the quoins and a base-batter (H 0.7m; Wth c. 0.2m on S side). There is a double bellcote surmounting the W gable, though only the N bellcote survives intact. According to the OS Letters (1839) the arch of the S bellcote was already broken away in 1839 (O’Flanagan ed. 1930, vol. 1, 161-2 (52-3)). All the walls contain putlog holes and plaster rendering can be seen on the N and S walls. Following a clean-up of the graveyard in the 1990s a large number of cut stones (KK013-003003-) were uncovered. Some were kept within the graveyard while others were placed in the adjoining field. The church was entered through opposing doorways at the W end of the N and S walls. That in the N wall has been broken out and both doorways have been partially blocked up. The church was lit by six lancet windows, chamfered and rebated externally, two in the E gable and two at the E end of the church in the N wall and two opposite in the S wall. Only the heads and some upper jambs of the windows in the E gable survive. Internally these are within widely splaying round-headed embrasures. The window at the E end of the N wall is broken out and the masonry above it is missing, while only the head and sill survive of the window E of centre in this wall. The window at the E end of the S wall is well preserved but obscured by ivy, while the window E of centre in this wall is broken out, with only some voussoirs above the former window head surviving. The surviving window embrasures in the side walls are segmental headed. There is a breach in the wall at the E end of the S wall, where the piscina would have been located. In the wall opposite there is a possible aumbry, though all that remains is a recess with broken out masonry. The lancet windows suggest a 13th-century date for this church. See attached photographs: KK013-003001-_01 Exterior E gable and N wall KK013-003001-_02 Exterior from NE KK013-003001-_03 Exterior E gable – detail of window heads KK013-003001-_04 Interior E windows KK013-003001-_05 Interior windows from E end showing doorways in side walls and W gable KK013-003001-_06 Interior – S wall, window and breach at E end of S wall where the piscina was located KK013-003001-_07 Interior –window E of centre in S wall KK013-003001-_08 Interior –doorway in S wall Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 September 2022