Killeedy Church (in ruins) — Killeedy North

On E side of graveyard (LI044-101002-). Fragmentary remains of church consisting of nave (int. 14.2m E-W; 8.7m N-S) and added chancel (int. dims. 11.28m E-W; 5.6m N-S). West wall of nave missing and replaced by concrete wall with railing and gate; from gate pathway leads to modern shrine to St Ita standing in front of chancel arch (see photo Spellisy 1988, 203); another recently-constructed shrine in SE corner of nave. Nave packed with burial plots, the earliest headstones dating to early 19th century. South wall stands to full height and has two very-ruined window embrasures; top of wall corbelled inwards. Only E end (L c. 5m) of N wall stands to full height (and corbelled inwards as S wall), the remainder reduced to c. 1m in height. East wall has inserted chancel arch (Wth 3.35m); pointed arch and jambs formed of punch-dressed chamfered limestone blocks. Walls of chancel lower than nave, and stand to full height though heavily ivy clad. Window embrasures in centre of N, E and S walls; these held wooden frames which do not survive. According to O'Donovan (OSL vol. 1, 27-8) chancel was 'modernised' and use as a Protestant church until c. 1800; he describes chancel as containing 'three modern windows'; though W gable fallen in 1840, O'Donovan (ibid.) met 'people living who saw a part of it standing and these attested that it contained a door of concentric arches'; he also noted 'two beautiful round-headed windows' in S wall; at that time it was local practice to remove cut-stone from building 'to place them at the heads of graves' (ibid.). Likely therefore that nave is Romanesque (12th century), with chancel added in late-medieval period. Part of a late-medieval ogee window head and blocks with carved heads beside nearby holy well (LI044-101003-) probably came from church. Church dedicated to St Ita (ibid.; Gwynn and Hadcock 1988, 392) and parish church of Killeedy (Westropp 1904-5, 404-5); it was 'destroyed in war, 1302' (ibid.), but in 1615 reported 'in good condition, chancel thatched' (ibid.), however by 1655 it was again in ruins (ibid.); according to Spellissy (ibid.) 'in 1822 the Rockites destroyed both the church and the glebe house'. Compiled by: Denis Power Date of upload: 26 August 2011