Church (in Ruins) — Fuerty

This is an early ecclesiastical site attributed to St Patrick, whose first deacon was Justus (Kelly 1861-4), and the parish church of Fuerty listed as Fidard in the ecclesiastical taxation of Elphin in 1306 (Cal. doc. Ire. vol. 5, 224). It is situated on a slight knoll, and the ruins of a Church of Ireland church stand within a small graveyard (RO039-063002-) (dims 53m E-W; 40m N-S) defined by masonry walls, although the graveyard has been extended to the E (dims. 100m E-W; 40m N-S). Two sandstone cross-slabs (RO039-063003-; RO039-063004-) are displayed on the tower of the roofless church, and another lies in the graveyard (Wakeman 1890-1, 357-8; Crawford 1913; 160; FitzGerald 1910-12b; Macalister 1945, vol. 2, 14, 15; Herity et al. 1997, 117-8). One slab (RO039-063003-) (dims 0.95m x 0.7m) has an incised two-lined ringed cross, a fish and the inscription 'or ar anmain aidacain' - pray for the soul of Aidacain. The other slab (RO039-063004-) (dims 0.9m x 0.7m) has an incised five-line cross with expanded terminals and the inscription 'or ar mór'. Fragments of a fourth cross-slab (RO039-063005-) (dims 0.3m x 0.15m) with a swastika motif were acquired by NMI in 1984 (Siggins 1988, 55-6), and a grave-marker (RO039-063009-) in the graveyard has a simple incised Maltese cross (Corlett 1998, 137). Archaeological testing (05E1414) immediately S of the graveyard failed to produce any related archaeological material (Casey 2009). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010