Aghaviller Castle (in ruins) — Aghaviller

On a rise with land sloping to the N. A round tower (KK031-030001-) lies c. 25m to the SW. The church runs along the N side of a roughly rectangular graveyard (KK031-030002-). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 4, 6) St Brendan of Birr was the patron of the church and the holy well (Kk031-029---) c. 200m to the NW is dedicated to him. A much modified church (ext. dims. 14.2m E-W; 8.1m N-S; int. dims. 10.45m E-W; 4.6m N-S) built of roughly coursed rubble masonry. Much of the originally masonry appears to have been retained up to first-floor level. No clearly datable features survive from the original church, however, both lower inner jambs of the W doorway have a roll-moulding and the surviving window embrasures suggest tall narrow windows, probably lancets, which suggests a date of late 12th/13 century. In the late 15th/16th century a vault was inserted with a floor beneath the vault and accommodation added above creating in effect a residential tower (KK031-030004-). In the 1930s ivy was removed from the building, ‘considerable’ repairs to the stone work were carried out, the vault was covered with concrete and tie-bars were inserted at the springing of the vault (OPW topographical files, 1935-6). Further repair works were carried out in 1952 (National Monuments Historic Register). Though none of the original windows of the church survive, the embrasure in the E gable appears original, being partially blocked up in the late 15th/16th century and a round-headed single-light window was inserted, with a smaller flat-headed window above, both with external chamfers. Some of the voussoirs of the earlier window survive and to the S, both internally and externally, there are the remains of voussoirs which suggests there were two windows in the original E gable. There is similar evidence both internally and externally for an earlier window towards the W end of the S wall, with an inserted narrow round-headed single-light. At the E end of the S wall there is a high pointed embrasure, likely to have been a window embrasure but turned into a recess with a small window in the back of the recess which continues through a later buttress. At the W end of the N wall some earlier voussoirs survive externally above the inserted late 15th/16th-century doorway. There is a pointed recess in the N wall. A shallow stoup, damaged around its edges, has been inserted into a crude aumbry at the E end of the S wall. The presence of a stone altar (1.95m x 0.95m; H 0.75m) in front of the E window suggests that the church continued in use after the vault and second-floor were added. The vault, which springs from the N and S wall, is set back to create an offset along the top of the side walls, which facilitated the formwork for the vault. Corbels were inserted c. 1m below the offset to create a first floor. There is a second, higher row of inserted corbels, c. 0.5m below the offset, at the W end of the building, suggesting that there was a loft at this end, possibly before the floor was inserted at the lower level. The lower corbels are contemporary with the blocking of the W window embrasure in the S wall. A pointed doorway was inserted at the W end of the N wall to give access to the residential tower, with a mural stair rising in the N wall to give access to the upper floors. A later doorway, possibly 18th century, was inserted in the S wall. Two large rectangular buttresses were built up against the S wall to offset the additional pressure of the stone vault. The W wall (T 1.55m) has a central pointed doorway (H 2.5m; Wth 1.5m) within a pointed segmental embrasure. The lowest E jamb on both side of this embrasure has a roll-moulding. These jambs are of 12th/13th date, however, while they may indicate the position of an original chancel arch they could also be re-used. There is a draw-bar slot in the N side of the embrasure. The doorway is flanked on either side by a flat-headed rectangular opening (0.65m x 0.7m; 0.65m x 0.5m) with glazing-bar holes. The depressed relieving arches above the doorway and the S opening appear to be contemporary. There is evidence of a building running westward from the W wall, the coping stones of the steeply pitched roof are in situ projecting from the external face of the residential tower and the return of the N and S side walls are evident, though the surviving side walls appear to be rebuilt. The roof is contemporary with the residential tower which suggests that this building dates from the late 15th/16th century. It is difficult to assess how much of the lower portion of the W wall is original. Two rather crude corbels project from the N side of the E face above doorway height, perhaps to support a wooden access to the first floor loft. There is a pointed recess at first-floor level which rests on an internal offset. This has been interpreted as a pulpitum, a loft or platform above the choir screen from which the gospel was read (O’Keeffe 2015, 124-5). However, pulpitums are associated with abbey churches and cathedrals and are unlikely to be found in a parish church context. If this recess relates to a nave then it is more likely part of a chancel or rood screen, with the rood or cross, and/or statues, being displayed in the recess. Usually the rood was visible from both the chancel and nave, so the arch would continue through the thickness of the wall, but there is no evidence of this in this instance. There are two small flat-headed loops at first-floor level opening towards the E, one within the recess and one S of it. See the residential tower (KK031-030004-) for a description of the vault, the intramural chamber in the haunch of the vault and the second floor. (National Monument No. 334) See attached photographs: KK031-030003-_01 W and S face exterior KK031-030003-_02 E face with round tower in background KK031-030003-_03 N face exterior KK031-030003-_04 Voussoirs above doorway at W end of N wall – exterior KK031-030003-_05 Windows in E gable with earlier voussoirs – exterior KK031-030003-_06 Round-headed window in S wall within earlier blocked opening – exterior KK031-030003-_07 W gable – interior KK031-030003-_08 N wall – recess at ground-floor level interior KK031-030003-_09 S end of E gable with possible blocked embrasure – ground-floor level interior KK031-030003-_10 Window embrasures at W end of S wall – ground-floor and 1st-floor level interior KK031-030003-_11 View of masonry extending westward from W gable – taken from top of tower house Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 28 February 2018