Knockmore Abbey (in Ruins) — Mountirvine

In level pasture, at the foot of a S-facing slope; in the centre of Knockmore graveyard (SL044-003003-). All that remains of Knockmore Abbey is the ruin of a rectangular church (ext. 25.6m E-W; 8.65m N-S) built of uncoursed mortared stonework. Only a stump at the NE corner, the internal face of the S wall and a short return of the W wall, survive, and much of the E and S walls have recently been rebuilt as a drystone wall. The NE stump contains the N side of the central E window; this has a limestone jamb with chamfered edges. Near the E end of the S wall is a square recess (D 0.6m; H c. 0.8m) with a rounded arch and a ribbed band on both jambs. The base of the recess is covered by rubble but it is probably a piscina (M. A. Timoney 1997, 3). There is a much-ruined doorway near the W end of this wall. Just inside the boundary of the graveyard and NE of the church are two pieces of a window mullion, reused as grave-markers. These match the surviving side of the E window; one is decorated on its internal face with a simple knot motif. A drawing from the 1830s shows this window with three mullions rising to four round sub-arches with tracery overhead (OSNB vol. 1, 435). The interior of the church contains many 19th- and 20th-century burials. Knockmore Abbey was established for the Carmelites c. 1320 (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 290; M. A. Timoney 1997); according to Cowell (1997, 147), it was founded by Edmund O'Gara of Moygara Castle (SL044-052001-). The surviving architectural features, though very fragmentary, appear to be 15th century in date. Four cross-slabs (SL044-003002-; SL044-003004-; SL044-003005-; SL044-003006-) were found loose within and to the W of the friary in the 1970s and 1980s but only one of these can be located. 'Tobernambraher' holy well (SL044-004----) is c. 160m to E. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008