Church (in ruins) — Kilcoolyabbey

On a N-S rise, on the E side of an unenclosed graveyard (TS043-034007-). A high limestone wall runs NW-SE c. 2m beyond the E gable of the church. The church is composed of limestone rubble, roughly coursed (ext. Wth 6.77m). Only the E gable (int. Wth 5.55m; T 0.77m) and a short length (int. L 1.22m; T 0.75m) of the E end of the S wall survives. The length of the church could not be established as there is no visible trace of the W gable above ground. There is a large pointed window (H 3.12m; Wth 1.48m) in the E gable with red-brick surrounds and the E splay of a window embrasure in the S wall. There are some remains of internal plaster with a scratch coat beneath but no external render is evident. There is a large 19th-century pyramidal mausoleum on the line of the S wall of the church. The church is likely to date to the early 18th century, though it could have been built in the late 17th century. The earliest evidence for a church at this location is an estate map dating to 1749 (Neely 2005, 40, 50). By 1826 the church is recorded as 'falling in and too small, and graves too close to the walls' and in 1829 a new church was built c. 60m to the NW (Neely 2005, 93). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011