Church (in Ruins) — Killarga

Situated on a low E-W ridge in a low-lying landscape. This is the old Roman Catholic church of Killarga, which pre-dates the present church built in 1791 (Gallogly 1994, 434-5), although it may be on the site of the medieval parish church. It is marked on Taylor and Skinner's map of the roads of Ireland, which was surveyed in 1777 (Andrews 1969, 234). It is a rectangular roofless structure (ext. dims 12.48m E-W; 6.24m N-S) surviving in good condition, except the E and W walls which are almost entirely missing. It is built of coursed limestone mortared masonry walls (Wth 0.6m; max. H 2.8m) with good quoins. There is an external plinth on the N wall and there are three round-arched, splayed window openings (Wth 0.8m; H 1.5m plus) in the S wall. In the 1940a a round-headed doorway '7 feet high and 43 inches wide (c. 2.13m x 1.1m) survived in the W wall and there was a single round-headed window in the N wall (ITA survey). It is within a rectangular graveyard (dims c. 65m E-W; c. 15-30m N-S) defined by masonry walls, which has been extended to the W (dims c. 25m N-S; c. 25m E-W). Saint Mary's holy well (LE015-105001-) is c. 350m to the SW. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 September 2008