G. Yd. — Timahoe

A church was founded here by St. Mochua who died in 657 (JRSAI Part I Vol. IV, 31). No visible surface remains. Round tower (LA018-031005-), castle (LA018-031006-) and graveyard (LA018-031003-) are all that remains of the monastery of Timahoe. All visible headstones post date 1700 AD. In November 1978 human remains were discovered during building works at Timahoe, Co. Laois (Cahill & Sikora 2011, Vol. 2, 491). According to the report received from the Gardai, thirteen skulls were discovered at a depth of 0.4m below ground level. The remains were reportedly found on the north side of the church in the vicinity of the round tower. The site was visited by Breandán ó Ríordáin, but by that time the remains had been removed from the excavated area. According to the finders' reports, two articulated skeletons had been found in an extended position, one near the northern end of the excavated pit, with the head to the east, and the other at the southern end with the head to the west. A number of skulls and other bones were also noticed between the two articulated skeletons. No grave structures or associated artefacts were found. The remains were all reburied. Rectangular shaped graveyard (int. dims. 107m N-S; 79m E-W) enclosed by a stone wall as indicated on current ed OS 6-inch map. C of I church in N quadrant of graveyard. 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/revision: 10 August 2012