Killodiernan Ch. (in ruins) — Johnstown

Situated in pasture, on the W-facing slope of a N-S ridge in undulating countryside. The name Killodiernan is translated as the church of the O'Tiernan's or Cill Ó dTiarnáin , the Cill placename may suggest an early medieval date for the church site (Clyne 1984, 44). According to Gwynn and Gleeson (1962, 88) there was 'no ancient record of this church survives, but the ruins which can still be seen show that a church was built here, most probably in the twelfth century. The church takes its name from the family which presumably was the erenagh family in medieval times. the name Tiernan is still common in the neighbourhood'. In 1302 the church of 'Killodigirnany' was valued at 20s. in the papal taxation of the Diocese of Killaloe (CDI, vol. 5, 302). In 1615 the church was described as the Rectory of Killodiernan under the impropriation of the monastery at Tyone (TN021-042----) and at which time had no curate serving the church (Murphy 1914, 219). In 1622 Oliver Grace was listed as the patron of the Rectory of Killodiernan with the Bishop of Killaloe patron of the vicarage of Killodiernan (Dwyer 1878, 120). The church and churchyard (TN009-040002-) was described in the 1654-56 Civil Survey of Tipperary as following; 'The said half acre of Gleabland being situated on the south close by the church yard of the church of Killodiernane lying and being in the two plds [ploughlands] of Killodiernane and is fenced aboute w[i]th a ditch and at pr[e]sent wast[e]' (Simington 1934, 303). In 1840 the church was described by John O'Donovan as; 'The old Church called Killodiernan is evidently one of considerable antiquity, but remodelled in the 14th or 15th century. It is not divided into nave and choir like the generality of old Churches of its age but forms one oblong house measuring on the inside 60 feet [18.3m] in length and 20 [6m] in breadth.The side walls and gables are in very good preservation and built of thick slabs of grit laid in regular courses and cemented with lime and sand mortar. The east window is roundheaded on the inside and quadrangular on the outside and constructed of chiselled and ornamented grit; it measures on the inside five feet nine inches [1.75m] in height and in width three feet [0.9m] at top and three feet two inches [0.96m] at the bottom, and on the outside four feet [1.2m] in height and five and three quarter inches [0.15m] in width. It is only three feet [0.9m] from the present level of the ground on the outside, but the ground is considerably raised. At the distance of three feet three inches [1m] from the east gable there is on the south wall, a window measuring on the inside two feet seven and a half inches [0.8m] in width, but its height cannot be ascertained as its top is destroyed. It is formed of hammered blocks of red grit on the inside and of cut (punched) lime stone on the outside. This window is not original. There is another window on the north wall at the distance of eight feet nine inches [2.7m] from the east gable; it is quadrangular on both sides and measures on the inside three feet [0.9m] in height and two feet nine inches in width, and on the outside two feet in height and four and three quarter inches [0.83m] in width. This window is not original. A lime stone tablet in the north wall exhibits the following inscription, which I copy, not because it is ancient but because it belongs to a branch of a family formerly respectable In this part of the Country:— "Beneath this monumental piece are (is) Interred the body of Patrick Egan, who lived beloved and died lamented. He departed Aug 5th 1821, aged 69 years. May he rest in peace, Amen. Erected by his son Michael Egan". There is a doorway on the south wall at the distance of thirteen feet seven inches [4.1m] from the west gable; it forms a low arch on the inside, where it measures seven feet five inches [2.26m] in height and five feet four inches [1.6m] in width; on the outside it is pointed and formed of punched lime stone and measures six feet nine inches [2m] in height and three feet eight inches [1.1m] in width. The side walls are three feet [0.9m] thick and about nine feet [2.7m] in height. There is a quadrangular doorway on the north wall adjoining the west gable; it is formed of blocks of cut lime stone and measures on the outside five feet nine inches [1.75m] in height and two feet eight inches [0.8m] in width. Neither of these doors is original, but the original doorway is on the west gable, now built up with rough masonwork and has been so since the others were broken on the side walls. It is semicircular at the top on both sides and constructed of chiselled and ornamented sand stone. It measures on the outside seven feet six inches [2.3m] in height and two feet seven inches [0.8m] in width above and below. There is a more modern little Chapel attached to this Church the east side, built in the year 1667 as appears from an inscription on a monument within it, of which Mr. Du Noyer is requested to make a facsimile' (O'Flanagan 1930, 19-20). The church was described by Gleeson (1951-2, 100) as following; 'The church is well preserved but heavily infested with growths of various kinds and with tree stumps bursting the walls in places. If cleared and cleaned it would present a very interesting study. The W. door is in sandstone Romanesque of the mid. 12th cent. the jambs being similar to the single stone mentioned at Dromineer [TN014-004003-]. It is plain and without receding order. It is filled up with various encumbrances so that it is now impossible to make a proper examination. Superficial ornament can be seen on the shafts. The door has been likened to that of St. Finghin's church [OF005-006---] at Clonmacnoise. The E. window is also 12th cent. and splays inwards. There is chevron ornament on the underside of the voussoirs and also on the vertical faces. There is a cross potent with square centre in relief on the lintel. It is more ambitious in style than the door though apparently contemporary. There are windows on both the S. and N. walls described by the O.S. Letters as 'not original'. They cannot now be properly seen on account of infestation. There is also a door on the S. wall described as 'pointed' on the outside. This and another door on the N. wall are also described as 'not original' in the O.S. Letters. On the E. side, attached to the gable is a mortuary church or chantry'. Church with Romanesque decorated stonework described by Harbison (1976, 56-7; 1970, 230) as 'a small mutilated church the west doorway of which has the remains of some good scroll-work. The exterior of its east window has a cross at the top, while the interior has some scarcely visible panels surrounded by pelleting (one containing a fretwork pattern). Somewhat similar scroll-work is found on the abacus of the chancel arch of the larger church at Liathmore-Mochoemog [TN042-055003-]'. Present remains consist of a multi-period single cell rectangular church (ext. dims. 7.27m N-S; 18.93m E-W; wall T 1.02m) originally built in the 12th century with mortuary chapel added on to NE angle of church in 1667 (Murphy 1989, 103-4). The original round-headed sandstone Romanesque doorway stands in the centre of the W gable with possible inserts in the N jamb. A late medieval two-centred doorway with chamfered punch-dressed jambs and stop chamfers is present at W end of the S wall. A flat-headed doorway was inserted into the W end of the N wall in the nineteenth century. Only the base of the S doorway into the mortuary chapel survives consisting of chamfered limestone jambstones with stop chamfers and horizontal tooling across the face of the jambs. Originally the doorway would have been similar to the S doorway into the church. There is a round-arched E window with chevron-decorated rere-arch, the head of which has been reset in the seventeenth century when the mortuary chapel was added onto the E gable. During this period the round-arched window was turne