Church (In Ruins) — Ballysheehan (ballysheehan Par.)

In grassland at the N end of a low N-S gravel ridge with good views in all directions and a stream running N-S 30m to the W. There is a motte and bailey (TS053-042002-) 100m to the S of the church and a deserted medieval village (TS053-042003-) 130m to the E of the church. The townland name of Ballysheehan is derived from the Irish baile Ui Shiodhchain meaning O'Sheehans Town (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 105). The lands of Ballysheehan were valued at 10 pounds per annum and the church was escheated to the crown, in right of the Templars (Wood 1906-07, 369). In the 15th century there are several incidences of the church of Ballysheehan being in the ecclesiastical courts, the ruling inevitably being against Ballysheehan (O'Donovan and Duffy 2002, 35). Located in the N quadrant of a large rectangular graveyard (TS053-042004-). A long rectangular ivy-clad fortified church (int. dims. excluding tower 6m N-S; 17.5m E-W; wall T 0.9m) built with roughly coursed limestone rubble with a four storey high tower (ext. dims. 10.4m N-S; 5.6m E-W; wall T 0.9m) at the W end of the church (ext. dims. 8.6m N-S at E end and 10.4m at W end; 25.8m E-W), accessed from the interior of the church via a doorway (Wth 1m) in the N wall, W of centre near the NW angle of the church. This doorway gives access to a lobby area which is protected by an overhead murder-hole. From this lobby the tower itself is accessed. The tower is divided by a cross-wall running E-W which creates a small chamber (int. dims. 1.75m N-S; 4.35m E-W) orienated E-W at the N end of the tower which has a barrel-vaulted roof over the ground floor. From this chamber the main ground-floor room (int. dims. 6m N-S; 4m E-W) is accessed, all floors over the main chambers being of wood. Every floor has a large square-shaped chamber to the S of the dividing wall and a small rectangular chamber orientated E-W to the N of the dividing wall. The church itself is accessed from a destroyed doorway (Wth 2.7m) located W of centre in the S wall near the SW angle of the church. According to the OS letters there were four windows in the S wall of the church, two of which were destroyed (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 106). There is evidence of two blocked-up two-light windows in the S wall, that nearest the E gable has pointed trefoil heads, this wall also has a single-light window with sandstone surrounds. There is a pointed trefoil-headed piscina with credence above in the S wall near the SE angle of the church, with a semi-circular arched niche for a sedilia or wall tomb (Wth 1.67m; D 0.2m) immediately to W. Two small rectangular wall niches (dims. 0.45m 0.45m x 0.45m) appear to have been inserted into the S wall E of centre, just W of the semi-circular niche. A stone altar of possible medieval date in the E window embrasure is crudely covered by a corrugated structure. There is a two-light window in the centre of the E gable, with interesting aumbrys (int. dims. 1.15m N-S x 0.75m E-W) in the N and S embrasures of this window, both of which were accessed via a doorway with rebated limestone surrounds. Each of these cupboards had a shelf which divided the compartments into an upper and lower section, and may have been used for safekeeping of sacred vessels and important items belonging to the church. A blocked-up window and blocked-up doorway are both E of centre in the N wall. The doorway appears to have given access to a lintelled two-storey mural passage (int. dims. 1.75m N-S; 17m E-W) running parallel to the N wall of the church, from which the lobby of the tower house could be accessed. At the E end of this mural passage there are the possible remains of a destroyed stairs which gave access to the upper floor of this passage. From here the murder-hole, and also the second floor of the tower house, could be accessed. There is a buttress up against external face of the N wall near the NE angle of the church. A corbel with a grotesque head carved on the underside is visible on the S wall at the SE angle of the church where the roof meets the side wall of the church gable. There was a second decorated corbel on the N face of the NE angle but this is now missing. A later dividing wall built at a distance of 8m from the inner face of the W wall of church, which cuts across the two-light window in the centre of the S wall, may have been inserted when burials were placed inside the church. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011