Killeen Ch (in ruins) — Cowpark

National monument No. 345. Situated in the parish of Kilcornan standing on top of a ridge running N-S overlooking a stream marking the townland boundary with Killeen 50m to W. Depicted on the first ed. OS 6-inch map as a single cell church aligned ENE-WSW with square shaped graveyard (LI011-065004-), reused as a children's burial ground (LI011-065005-) adjoining S side of church the boundary of which is indicated with a dotted outline. This graveyard area is not indicated on the revised editions of the OS maps. In 1840 the Ordnance Survey letters recorded the local tradition that the patron saint of the parish was St Cornan, possibly, the same Cornan who was abbot of Lismore and whose feastday was remembered on the 1st of January (RIA MS 14/D/18/4 (v), 66). The OS letters recorded ‘that there is an old church called Killeen in good preservation, it is about 44 feet [13.4m] in length and 24 [7.3m] in breadth, and has a pointed doorway constructed of cut limestone in the south wall’ (RIA MS 14/D/18/4 (v), 67). Westropp (1904-5, 388) recorded that Killeen Church was 'not the ancient church of Kilcornan, as stated by Sir Aubrey de Vere in O'Hanlon's Lives of the Irish Saints. It is well preserved, 45 feet [13.7m] by 24 feet [7.3m]. The south door is pointed, the north door closed. It has narrow windows in the sides and east end, and a bell ope on the west gable'. The church was described by Harbison (1970, 149) as a 'well-preserved 15th century parish church. The narrow windows and the turret-like belfry give the church an almost military appearance. There is an unusual water-font in the church.' The water font referred to by Harbison appears to be the water stoup located on E side of doorway embrasure. Present remains consist of a well preserved single-cell semi-fortified late medieval church with prominent base batter visible. The walls are well preserved, standing to full height and are built with limestone rubble with long and short alternating quoin stones. Large stones more regularly coursed are visible from base of wall up to end of base batter height, smaller stones are used from this level upwards. A string course visible at roof level on the N and S wall carries a parapet wall acting as a wall-walk protecting the church roof. Drainage holes for the wall walk are visible at regular intervals. The church was entered through a late medieval pointed doorway in the centre of the S wall. A second doorway now blocked up was located directly opposite in the N wall. The S doorway was set into a recessed opening which may have framed an external door or yett. Drawbar slot visible inside doorway with wicker centring visible on arch of entrance embrasure. A rough ogee-headed water stoup has been built into S wall on E side of doorway. To the E of this doorway in the S wall there is a single light ogee headed window of late medieval appearance. At the E end of the S wall adjacent to the SE angle there is a quatrefoil shaped piscina set into a partially broken out flat-headed embrasure. In the centre of the E gable there is a single light ogee-headed window set into a semi-circular arched embrasure constructed with punch dressed surround. Directly beneath this window there is the scar line of a robbed out stone altar of which a single stone survives on the N side protruding from the E wall. To the S of the altar there is a square shaped aumbry into which the stone finial of the church roof has been placed. A socket for the cross is visible in the top of the finial. There is good evidence for internal render on the walls of the church which is particularly well preserved at E end of N wall. To the E of the blocked doorway in the N wall there is a single-light ogee-headed window of 15/16th century date located directly opposite the S window. A straight joint and four alternating quoin stones are visible in the external face of N wall located between the blocked doorway and ogee-headed window. This straight joint marked by the long and short quoins is only visible at the lower courses of the wall, there is a change in the coursing of the fabric at this point. This may have been a doorway which was later blocked up, there is no straight joint visible on the internal face of the N wall and no change in the coursing of the masonry. On the W gable there is an unusual bell-cote consisting of a stone box-structure with pointed arch and sloping roof carried on pyramidal-shaped corbels, projecting out above an opening framed by the pointed arch. A line of roughly square shaped holes in the external face of the W gable beneath the bell-cote probably acted as a support for a wooden platform. An L-shaped slot in the apex of the gable on the internal face accommodated a rope which enabled a person inside the church to ring the bell. At the W end of the church the presence of small holes beneath the oversailing along with two large beam holes directly opposite each other indicate the presence of a wooden floor or gallery at W end of church. A series of small holes in the E face of the W gable may have supported some form of wooden structure or stairs which was keyed into the W gable of the church. A series of corbels on the N and S walls at roof level supported an oversailing which carried a wall walk around the sidewalls of the church. The church was repaired in the 1930s under the direction of Canon Wall. The stones that formed the window were discovered during this renovation and replaced. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 19 April 2018 See attached ASI aerial photograph ASIAP – taken on 04/03/2006.