Church (in Ruins), Graveyard — Castlebrack

Featureless and undifferentiated church in poor condition recently cleaned up and repointed situated in elevated position on high ground overlooking valley to S, in centre of graveyard (LA001-004-) to NNW of castle (LA001-004001-). Built of roughly coursed rubble (dims. 24.7m E-W, 8m N-S; wall T 0.8m) of which only the S wall stands to its full height only the foundations remain. Possible remains of doorway at W end of S wall. Fragment of window tracery lies under nearby table-tomb. It is hammer-dressed limestones as are the quoisn surviving in the NE angle of the church. Middle spandrel of a tiwn light ogee headed late medieval window with hollowed spandrel and second spandrel decorated with incised stiff leaf pattern has been inserted into S wall of church. According to O'Donovan this church was only a chapel of ease for the castle from which the townland received its name (O'Hanlon and O'Leary 1907, vol. 1, 199) O'Donovan described the church as measuring 80 ft. long by 30 ft. broad and seems to have been destroyed about 1691 (O'Flanagan 1933, Vol. 1, 212-16). Church may have been built around 1425-27 when the nearby castle was built. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 December 2007