Templeachally Church (in ruins) — Roolagh

Templeachally (Teampall an Chalaidh/Church of the callow/wet meadow) parish church ruins stands in the townland of Roolagh, parish of Templeachally, diocese of Killaloe, in the barony of Owney and Arra. In 1306 the Ecclesiastical Taxation of the Deanery of 'Wethirchir' listed the church of 'Killaitmamory [Callatamery, or Templeichally, co. Tipperary] which was valued at 16s. 8d. per annum with the tithe valued at 20d. (Cal. doc. Ire., Vol. 5, 281). In 1460 there is a reference to 'Donato Ohogayn [O'Hogan]' and the rectory of 'Bale Inccuyssleaynara' (Castletown Arra TN019-002001-) and the perpetual vicarage of 'Teampallincalayth' (Templeachally) (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 35). In 1511 there is a reference to John O'Hogan, clerk of the diocese of Killaloe and the rectory of Baile an Chaisleáin Arra [Castleown Arra] which was united to the churches of Youghalarra, Burgesbeg, Ballina and Templeachally (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 95). The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Tipperary described the united parishes of Templeachally and Kilmastulla, as follows; 'The sd. Parishes lying and being in the Territory of Arra, were many years sithence for the meane of the p[ro]fits of the tythes thereof and at the Request of the Parishioners, United and made one entire Parish, the Rectories being Impprieat conferred many yeares sithence upon the Earle of Ormond by Pattent from the Crowne, and held by the assignee in Right of the now Countess of Ormond (as wee are informed) The tythes belonging to the Impropriat Rectories being one moytie of all the tythes great & smale, the other moytie belonging to the Viccar. The tythes greate & smale of the sd. United Parishes was worth in the yeare 1640 the sume of £15' (Simongton 1934, 159). The glebe land of the medieval church of Templeachally was described in the Civil Survey as; 'one plantation acre of Gleabland belonging to the Viccarage situated close by the Churchyard on the East of the Church of Tample Ically afforesd lying and being in the two pl [oughlan]ds of Bellanaha [Ballina] and is finced round wth. a ditch and is at prsent wast vallued in 1640 at 2s. 6d.' (ibid.). Church ruins described by John O'Donovan in 1840 as follows; 'The old Church of Teampull a Chala is situated on the side of a gentle elevation about one hundred and forty paces (106m) east of the Shannon and half a mile south east of the Town of Killaloe. It measures on the inside sixty two feet nine inches (19m) in length and twenty five feet six inches (7.7m) in width end its side walls were three feet six inches (1m) in thickness and about ten feet (3m) in height and built of brown sand stone (quarried) cemented with lime and sand mortar. The north wall of this Church is destroyed, except ten feet [3m] connected with the west gable. The east window forms a semicircular arch of cut sand stone on the inside and is pointed on the outside. It measures on the inside nine feet (2.7m) in height and five feet six and a half inches (1.7m) in width, and on the outside, where it is five feet (1.5m) from the ground six feet four and a half inches (1.9m) in height and two feet one inch (0.63m) in width. It was divided into two compartments by a stone mullion, which has been taken out. At the distance of six feet six inches (2m) from the east gable the south wall has a small window, which is rectangular on the outside, where it measures two feet four inches (2.3m) in height and six inches (0.15m) in width. It is destroyed at top on the inside, so that its height cannot be ascertained, but its width is four feet six inches (1.37m). At the distance of seventeen feet six inches (5.3m) from the west gable there is a doorway on the same wall destroyed on the inside, but perfect on the outside where it is pointed and constructed of chiselled sand stone of a brownish color. It is six feet eight inches (2m) in height and three feet nine inches (1.1m) in width. The west gable had two windows, now nearly destroyed, one near the ground and the other about ten feet (3m) from it. there is a large graveyard attached to this church now much in use' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 11-12). Present remains situated on a natural rise of ground overlooking the River Shannon to the W with a nearby castle (TN025-015----) to the N. The poorly preserved remains of a rectangular medieval parish church (ext. dims. 9.7m N-S; 21.3m E-W; wall T 1m) built with roughly coursed sandstone rubble. The E, S and W walls stand to full height with only the partial wall returns of the N wall surviving. The W end of the church may have had two floors as indicated by a destroyed window at first-floor level. There is also a single-light window at ground-floor level in this gable as well as a destroyed single-light window at the E end of the S wall. The E gable has a partially destroyed twin-light traceried window in the centre. The destroyed doorway at the W end of the S wall was described in the OS Letters as a pointed sandstone door (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 11-12). In the centre of the S wall is a segmental-arched tomb-niche and at the E end is a four-centred arched piscina with moulded bases, chamfered jambs and a six-lobed marigold pattern around the drain-hole. The graveyard (TN025-016002) around the church contains eighteenth- and nineteenth-century headstones. The top soil cover has been removed during a recent graveyard scheme. To see a 3D model of the piscina, visit https://skfb.ly/owK6V 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. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 4 August 2022