Indicated — Coolowley (plott)

Reference to Church here (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 140). Situated in poor marshy land with a lot of rock outcrop. Rectangular nave and chancel (L c. 14.7m; Wth c. 7.4m, wall T. c. 0.95m) built of roughly coursed rubble limestone. Featureless apart from a rectangular window in W gable. Described by Carrigan as 'There is an ancient church in 'the church field' in Coolowley. It stands east and west, was well built of good limestone, and measures internally, 38 ft. long by 21 ft. 3 in. wide, the walls being 3 ft. thick and the side walls 9 ft. high. A considerable portion of each gable still remains, together with some fragments of the south side-wall. There was no division into nave and chancel. The entrance door now destroyed was in one or other of the side-walls. There was a narrow loop, 20 in. high, in the west gable, 4 ft. from the ground; and directly over it, at a height of 2 ft. was another narrow loop now a mere breach. Of the narrow east window only one of the frame-stones, cut and chamfered, remains in situ. The site of the church is all rocky. There is no appearance of a graveyard' (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 140). 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