Church (in ruins) — Newtown (clonbeg Par.)

On a natural hill surrounded by wet, marshy terrain. The church, aligned E-W, is centrally placed within a rectangular graveyard (TS073-009003-), with a holy well (TS073-009002-) located in the SE angle of the graveyard. Only the W gable of the church survives. According to the OS Letters the church had been '“nearly perfect and in middling good repair except a part of the west end which is in ruin at present.” It has, however, been all torn down since (to make room for a neat modern little church now in progress of erection) except the west gable from which it can be ascertained that the building was about twenty five feet in breadth [7.6m] and not of any considerable antiquity' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 1). This 'modern' church is located immediately N of the former church and grave plots and headstones now occupy the interior of the former church. The W gable (L 8.1m; Wth c. 1.2m; H c. 6m) is heavily ivy covered. It is constructed of red and yellow sandstone rubble, roughly coursed. It has a central, single-light, plain ogee-headed window with external chamfer within a narrow, inwardly splaying, embrasure with flat lintels. Some of the tie-stones for the S wall project out from S end of the W gable. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011