Partially indicated — Ballynoe (glenquin By., Ballynoe West Ed)

In N quadrant of Clonelty (LI037-107----) graveyard are the ruins of the Romanesque single cell church (LI037-051----) possibly dedicated to the seventh century St. Íde of Killeedy (Lewis 1837, 51). The main fabric of this multi-period church and W doorway dates from the 11th/12th century and is pre-Norman in date. A curving field boundary in the field 70m to the SW of the graveyard boundary wall which continues as the curving arc of a filled in ditch visible as a differential vegetation mark to the SE and which intersects the curving bank of an enclosure (LI037-052----) at ENE possibly represents the remains of an Early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure (approx. diam. 200m). There are no surface remains visible of the enclosing element from the SW-W-N-ENE. The monastery at Clonelty appears to have been enclosed by a multi-vallate enclosure that was described in the local folklore which recorded that 'adjacent to the church (LI037-051-----) is an ancient fort (LI037-052---), thickly hedged all round. This fort is surrounded by another bigger one and this by still by another larger one' (National Folklore Collection, UCD, The Schools' Collection, Volume 0488, 484). Clonelty was described in 1840 as following; ‘The name of this Parish is not of ecclesiastical origin but derived from that of the Townland in which the original Church was placed, which Townland derived its name from Cluain, an insulated meadow or bog island, and Eilte, the genitive case of Eilit, a Doe. The old Church of Cloonelty, which is situated in a Cluain in the Townland of Ballynoe and about three and a half miles west wards of Ballingarry. It is an ancient building which was partly modernized and fitted up for a Protestant Church after the Reformation. It was never divided into nave and choir, but forms an oblong little building measuring on the inside thirty three feet five inches [10.2m] in length and twenty one feet [6.4m] in breadth' (OSL Clonelty Parish, 50-1). However Lewis (1837, 51) suggested that 'Clonita' was a possible name for the parish and therefore associated with St. Íde [Ita] of Killeedy. See attached Google earth aerial image taken 08/04/2015 Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on information provided by Sarah McCutcheon Date of upload: 14 March 2019