Garrabaun Church (in ruins) — Timoney

Situated on a break of slope with land falling away to the SW, in very undulating, rough pasture with a lot of outcrop and drainage activity. An ecclesiastical site founded by Augustinian canons in the twelfth/thirteenth century (Gleeson 1915, 347). Referred to as the 'rectory of Twomahone' in the Royal Inquisition of 1568 (Stout 1984, 106). Present remains consist of the ivy-clad medieval church ruins standing in the N quadrant of a graveyard (TN018-010003-), both of which stand in the centre of a possible ecclesiastical enclosure (TN018-010002-). Described in the OS Name Books (O'Donovan 1840, 348) as consisting of a well-preserved church (L 59ft (18m) by Wth 21ft (6.4m); wall T 3ft (0.91m)) with two quadrangular windows in the E gable and a round-headed doorway off-centre to the W on the S wall. The remaining windows are described in the name books as long narrow lancets in the pointed or gothic style (ibid., 348). A roughly trapezoidal-shaped graveyard (TN018-010003-) enclosed by post and wire fencing with a church situated in the N end entered through a late round-headed doorway with cut-stone voussoirs in the W end of the S wall (not the original doorway). The rear-arch of the doorway is higher and also round-headed. Present remains consist of a single cell undivided church (int. dims. 7.8m N-S; 17.76m E-W; wall T 0.9m) constructed with roughly coursed sandstone rubble now largely covered in ivy. The church was entered through a round headed doorway now ivy covered located off centre to W in S wall of church. Much of the N wall is reduced to a height of 0.4m and no features survive, however all other walls survive to height of 4.5m (Stout 1984, 106). There are several gravestones in the church interior, including one dating to 1779. Two single-light embrasures with internal splays occupy the E wall - the most northerly is intact but obscured by ivy while that to the S is largely broken out. There is a small aumbry at the E end of the S wall with a second cupboard immediately below this, now blocked by a nineteenth-century table-tomb. Adjacent to these niches in the S wall is a single-light window in a pointed embrasure. In the inner face of the W gable there is an offset, and there are two beam-holes at the W end of the N wall but these are at a lower level. The offset probably carried a floor or gallery at the W end of the church. There is a possible window embrasure in the W gable at first-floor level though this was difficult to see because of thick ivy growth. In the graveyard there are a number of roughly cut tombstones of mid-eighteenth-century date, and also nineteenth- and twentieth-century headstones. According to the OS Letters the large graveyard was 'not enclosed by any wall or mound' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 91). An aerial photograph taken in 1973 (GSIAP, S 81/80) shows a large curving earthwork to the N, E and SE of the church and graveyard (TN018-010003-). This may be part of a larger ecclesiastical enclosure (TN018-010002-) which originally surrounded the church. Present remains consists of this earthwork visible from N-E-S, the circuit of this earthwork is not visible elsewhere due to the nature of the terrain which consists of a lot of rock outcrop forming natural terracing and which appears to have been quarried out in places. NE of the church there is quite a substantial earthen bank (Wth 2.3-5.6m; int. H 1.43m; ext. H 0.9m) and a wide, flat-bottomed fosse (W 3.3m; D 0.64m) with quite a steep counterscarp. It is not certain if this earthwork fully enclosed the church and graveyard. It is possible that it may have formed part of a medieval roadway running past the church which may explain why the earthwork does not fully enclose the church. Alternatively the earthwork may have been levelled from S-W-N in post-medieval times. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien & Jean Farrelly Date of revised upload: 13 February 2015