Church (in Ruins) — Kiltubbrid

Situated in a low-lying position between drumlins with a small NE-SW stream c. 50m to the NW. This is the site of the parish church of Kiltubrid (of the well) or Kiltibrett as it is described on the Down Survey (1656-8) maps, for which see this web-page accessed on 13/01/2017: http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/down-survey-maps.php. As a part of the Muintir Eoluis territory it is in Ardagh diocese and may be of early origin as there was a church dedicated to St Patrick in the territory of Magh Nise in the 15th century and the dedication was changed to St Bridget through misinterpretation of the name (MacNamee 1954, 717). A leper hospital is recorded from the parish in 1590 but its location is not known (Logan 1970, 57). The parish church is in the Diocese of Ardagh, and the names of some of the clergy are known 1429-89 (MacNamee 718-9) and it was one of the seven churches united in the rectory of Muinter Eolais in 1472 (Scully 2019, 137). The church probably continued in use until St Brigid’s Church of Ireland church was built at Corglass c. 1.5km to the SW on the N shore of Lough Scur in 1785 (Lewis 1837, 2, 217). A single featureless wall (L 1.65m; H 4m; T 1m) from the NE angle of the church stands in the centre of a subrectangular or D-shaped graveyard (max. dims c. 45m NNW-SSE; c. 40m ENE-WSW) defined by masonry walls with the curved edge E-SSW. A modern mausoleum inside the N wall of the graveyard incorporates cut-stone fragments from the church, including pieces from a doorway with two attached orders indicating a thirteenth century date, and late medieval window mullions with hollow chamfers, glazing-grooves and bars. These pieces suggest that two periods of building are represented. A fragment of a cross-slab is described as ‘rectangular with an equal-armed cross in relief, 26.5cm by 27.3cm, with square expanded terminals and centre, the latter with a saltire cross’ (Herity et al. 1997, 105) and it is kept in the mausoleum structure. A tapering graveslab (L 0.78m; Wth 0.39-0.47m) with an incised ringed cross and excavated quadrants is built into the graveyard wall beside the mausoleum. There is a holy well dedicated to St Brigid (MacNamee 1954, 720) at the entrance to the lane from the W leading to the graveyard, which is conserved in cement with a canopy (dims 0.75m x 0.7m; H 0.8m). There is a record (Anon. 1937, 67) of memorials to O’Reilly and McMahon, which are probably 17th-century in date, but they are not now evident and may be preserved in the mausoleum structure. See the attached view from the Down Survey parish map (N at left) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland (Ms 717). 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 revised upload: 13 January 2017