Church (in Ruins) — Sleaty

National Monument No. 116. Situated on rise of ground overlooking stream to S in upland area. Associated with St Fiac (anglicized Feeg), Sleaty (Sléibhte) was formerly of great importance and was once the residence of the Bishop of Leinster (Comerford 1886, vol. 3, 249-265). The name Fiac may be derived from the Irish fiach meaning raven and he was descended from Mac Earca of the Uí Bhairrche territory located around the Laois/Carlow area (Ó Riain 2011, 315). The saint's feastday falls on the 12th of October (ibid.). The saint is closely associated with St. Patrick who according to Tíreachánconsecrated the first church at Sleaty (ibid.). The present medieval church (ext. dims. 14.25m E-W, 8.9m N-S; wall T 0.86m) is composed of coursed limestone blocks, apart from E gable which was rebuilt and is of sandstone. Dressed stone is incorporated in some of the walls. The church is featureless apart from the splayed embrasure of a broken window at E end of S wall, and a semi-pointed doorway at W end. It's granite jambs are probably from the earlier church. A large octagonal granite font (LA032-018005-) lies within the church to W of doorway. Holy well (LA032-018004-) is associated with the site (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 39). Most of the headstones in the surrounding subrectangular graveyard postdate 1700. Numerous uninscribed and cut-stone granite grave-markers occur. There are also two granite crosses associated with the early foundation. One tall undecorated cross (LA032-018003-) lies almost opposite NW corner of W gable. The other smaller squatter cross (LA032-018007-) is among headstones to S of doorway. Its W face is decorated with a barely visible ringed cross. A small uninscribed modern sandstone cross stands outside church at SE. Described by Comerford as ' The present old church measures on the inside 24 feet [7.3m] in breadth, and 42 feet [12.8m] in length. The east gable is totally destroyed, and its place is occupied by a modern wall about five feet high. The W gable is in tolerable preservation, and so clothed in ivy that you cannot see its features (if any it has). The S. wall contains a rude window (near the SE corner), which is broad inside and narrow outside; and a doorway near the SW corner, with a circular top in limestone, the sides being firestone. I take this to be a doorway of the thirteenth century. Inside the old church of Sletty, near the doorway, and to the left as you enter there is a large font (LA032-018005-) of granite with a deep circular hollow, and pierced in the centre, which appears to me to have belonged to the primitive church of St. Fiacc. There was also a holy well near this church called Tober-Feeg (LA032-018004-), but it is now stopped up' (Comerford 1886, vol. 3, 249). 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. Updated by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 19 March 2015