Glenogra Church (in ruins) — Glenogra

13th century parish church dedicated to St. Nicholas with 15th/16th century transept added onto S wall of church stands in N quadrant of graveyard (LI031-038006-). Glenogra Castle (LI031-038004-) stands 210m to SW with River Camoge 110m to W. Church described in 1942/3 as following; 'This church measures inside 69' [21m] by 21' [6.4m]. There are two doorways opposite each other, one on the south at a distance of 20' [6m] from the west gable. and the other on the north wall. The west gable contains a narrow window high up. This had a round head formed of a rough arch of stones. The upper half is now filled up and the lower half has a flat top. The east gable contains three round-headed windows. These are all different sizes. The most southern one is the smallest and is now built up. The middle one is the largest and is 9' [2.7m] high and 1' 4" [0.4m] wide, outside. These windows have cut limestone dressings. A lateral house extended from the south wall of the church. The south gable only of this remains, and contained a large ornamental window now almost completely destroyed. The lateral house was 29' 6" [9m] long and 18' [5.5] wide. Westropp says that Glenogra church was dedicated to St. Nicholas in 1410. Lewis says the church was founded by the de Lacys' (O'Kelly 1942-3, 234). Glenogra parish church dedicated to St. Nicholas was described in the Urban Survey of Limerick as following; 'There is no evidence to support the suggestion that this was an abbey church (JRSAI xxv (1895), 379). It seems to have been a mother church, however, with a number of dependent chapels. Lewis (1837, i, 662) states that the remains of four chantry chapels survived and that it had tombs of the de Lacys, Roches, Burkes, O'Gradys and FitzGeralds. There is no surviving evidence for these chantries today, although from Lewis' description of the church one may conclude that they were located on the north side. References in the fifteenth century indicate that it was dedicated to St. Nicholas (Westropp 1904-5, 433). The ruined remains consist of a single aisled church with the south wall of a south transept built of uncoursed rubble limestone. The east gable which is almost intact is c. 8m high and has three narrow single-light windows of differing heights with chamfered rebated jambs and sloping sills. The rear arches are slightly off-centre and the south window is blocked internally. There is a small wall cupboard at the south end of the wall. The north wall is c. 3.5m high and it had two single-light windows near the east end. The jambs and arches are missing. There is a round arched opening toward the west end (?door) and a series of put-log holes at two levels close to the west end of the wall. The south wall has a maximum height of 6m but most of the wall is 3.5m high. A small quatrefoil piscina is set into a flat lintelled niche near the east end. Two, or possibly three, single-light windows with chamfered and rebated sandstone jambs remain although the arches are missing. A break between the windows with three stones of a sandstone jamb may have been an opening to the south transept. There is a splayed opening, opposite that in the north wall, in the west end of the wall but no jambs remain and the west end of the wall is broken. The west wall is c. 5m high and originally had a single-light pointed window in the gable which was later blocked and a narrow rectangular window with flat lintelled rear arch inserted into the blocking. The south wall of the transept, which O'Kelly (1942-3, 234) calls a "lateral house", is c. 5.5m high but its west end is missing. The transept was probably lit by a three-light cusped pointed window with pointed rear arch although very little of this survives. To the east of the window there is a cusped pointed niche with a quatrefoil piscina' (Bradley et. al. 1989, 141-3). See attached plan of church taken from Urban Survey of Limerick Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 24 June 2019 See attached ASI aerial photograph ASIAP – 307/6 & 7 taken 13/09/2002 and 329/11 & 12 taken 05/10/2002.