Kilkeary Church (in ruins) — Kilkeary

Situated just off summit of low hillock on S-facing slope in pasture with good views of the surrounding countryside. According to the Annals, Cill Chéire [Ceall Chéire or Kilkeary] was named after the Virgin Saint Ciar or Cera who died on the 5th of January in the year 679 (O'Donovan 1856, 287). According to Ó Riain (2011, 167) this saint was also known as Ciar Asgadh and Ceara and she was one of three holy virgins of the descendants of Conaire (otherwise the family group known as Múscraighe), the other two being Gobnaid and Sciath daughter of Meachar. The extant medieval church ruins may have been built on the site of an Early Christian church or nunnery (TN021-074----) founded by St. Ciar or Cera (Gleeson 1952, 132; Gwynn and Gleeson 1962, 89; Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 391). The curving section of the E boundary wall of the graveyard may suggest the presence of an earlier earthen enclosure around the church site and this may indicate the presence of an early Christian enclosure. The medieval church of 'Kellskyry' [Kilkeary] was valued at 3 marks in the 1306 ecclesiastical taxation of the Diocese of Killaloe (Sweetman 1886, 302). Kilkeary Church described in the Civil Survey of 1654-6 (Simington 1934, vol. 2, 263) as 'Upon the sd. pld. standeth an old Church the walls onely standing, One thatch house & severall Cabbins'. Church ruins depicted on the 1654-7 Down Survey map of Kilkeary parish where it is shown standing in the townland of 'Lissine als Kilkiery' (NLI,MS 721). The terrier of this parish map recorded that there is in Kilkeary 'onely a ruined church a Thached House and three Cabbins' (ibid.). Only the outline of this poorly preserved church ruins (dims. 9m N-S; 29.3m E-W), are visible off centre to N in Kilkeary graveyard (TN021-074002-), aligned E-W and outlined by grass covered wall-footings (max. H 1.1m) and collapsed limestone rubble. The interior of the church represents the highest section of the graveyard and the interior is covered with post-1700 memorials. The present length of the church is possibly misleading as a low, stone-walled burial plot appears to have been added to the W end. The original length is closer to 20m based on a description in the OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 199). A drawing of the church in the Lives of the Irish Saints shows the W wall standing several courses high (O'Hanlon 1875, vol. 1, 65) of which only the wall footings survive today. The church was described in 1840 as following; 'The old Church of Kilkeary was fifty seven feet [17.3m] in length and nineteen feet two inches [5.8m] in breadth. All its features are destroyed except a window in the west gable and this is so veiled with ivy that its form could not be seen. Only the west gable, twenty four feet [7.3m] of the north wall and about twelve feet [3.6m] of the south one remain. They are built of large limestone rocks in the semi-Cyclopean style; one of them in the north call is nine feet three inches [2.8m] long, three feet nine inches high [1.1m] at the west end and three feet seven inches [1.07m] at the opposite end. It is about one foot [0.3m] above the level of the ground. There is scarcely one small stone in any of the walls of this Church, which is the surest sign of antiquity' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 199). It was described by O'Hanlon (1875, 66) as following; 'None of the old church ruins remain, except the western gable, 23 feet [7m] in extent by 20 feet [6m] in height. This gable is richly mantled with ivy. A fine old hawthorn tree, near one comer, gives a picturesque appearance to the solemn scene. The church seems very ancient, and some of the old stones, which are scattered about the churchyard, are very long and broad. One of them measures 12 feet [3.65m] in length by 4 feet [1.2m] in width. All are covered over with moss. The foundations of the old walls at Kilkeary peep over the thick grass, and are moss-covered. They measure 72 feet [22m] in length, from the end of the gable represented in the sketch'. The fabric of the church was later described in 1878 as following; 'The old church is much damaged, and quite overspread with ivy. The part remaining was built of large limestone rocks, in semi- Cyclopean style. There is scarcely one small stone in the walls—the best sign of antiquity' (Dwyer 1878, 508). An obelisk of post-1700 date was inserted into the E end of the church. Visible tombstones in the graveyard date from the eighteenth to the twentieth century - the gravestone of William Carroll referred to in the OS Letters dates to 1706. There is no cut stone visible in the graveyard or in the boundary wall which has been repaired in places. See attached drawing of Kilkeary Church taken from O'Hanlon's Lives of the Irish Saints 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 by: Jean Farrelly Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload/revision: 07 January 2019