Church (in Ruins) — Townparks

Located 190m N of the market square in the village of Castlepollard. In NW quadrant of graveyard (WM003-096001-). Castlepollard was in medieval period known as Rathyoung as depicted on the 1659 Down Survey map of Rathgraff parish (NLI, MS 723-4 ). The castle of Rathyoung built by Nicholas Pollard became known as Castlepollard (Woods 1907, 282). According to Cogan (1862-7 vol. 2, 400) the church at Killafree may have formed part of a monastery. The Union of Rathgraffe took place in 1676 and involved the merging of Rathgraffe, Lickbla, Faughalstown, Mayne, Foyran, St. Mary’s and St Fechin’s of Fore and Kilpatrick (Healy 1908, vol. 2, 317). A datestone (WM003-096004-) inserted into the S wall of the church records that this building was constructed by Walter Pollard of Castlepollard in 1679. It is not clear if the present church dates solely from 1679 or whether it was rebuilt at this time incorporating fabric of the medieval church of Killafree. In 1820 it was recorded that the church in Castlepollard ‘being too small for the congregation, and a very old fabric, a new church is building, on a new site, in the town of Castlepollard’ (Anon. 1820, 87). Present remains consists of the ruins of a church comprising of a rectangular nave with semi-circular shaped apse at E end and four storey high defensive ivy-covered tower at W end. The quality of the masonry is poor and the walls of the church are built with uncoursed rubble with rough undressed quoins. A cut stone round-arched doorway located in the S wall of the W tower gives access to the ground floor. The church was entered from this tower through a doorway located in centre of W gable of church. Located off centre to W in S wall are the remains of a round-arched window now covered with a grill. The voussoirs of this arch are 18th / 19th century in appearance. To the W of this window opening there is a datestone (WM003-096004-) inserted into the external face of the church wall. A transept chapel located on the centre of the S wall of the church has a subterranean burial vault of the Pollard family beneath this chapel. A datestone (WM003-096003-) located above the hoodmoulding of a destroyed window in the centre of the S gable of this transept dates from 1679. The ivy clad structure rising from the apex of the S gable of the transsept probably represents the remains of a belfry. Stone steps on the external face of the S gable of this chapel lead down to the burial vault. A large graveslab (WM003-096002-) blocks the entrance to this subterranean burial vault. A cut stone pointed doorway with fine punch-dressed chamfered jambs now covered with a metal grill located in the W wall of the transept gave access to this chapel. A transept arch connecting the chapel to the main body of the church is now blocked up. This blocking may date from 1679. There is no evidence of any window opening in the E wall of this transept. A blocked up round-headed window can be seen immediately N of transept in S wall of church. This round-arched window now blocked up appears to be 18th century in date. The E face of the apse has been refaced with evidence of brick used in refacing of wall which is badly damaged with a metal grill now covering the broken out E window. Two similar blocked up window openings dating from the 18th / 19th century can be seen in the N wall of the church. The round arched opening located off centre to W in N wall of church cuts across an earlier flat headed arch visible in the external face of the N wall. The string course of a possible wall-walk of the W tower can be seen on NE angle where ivy has partially fallen off. The ground floor of the W tower is lit by flat headed slit opes in centre of N and W walls. All the floors in the tower appear to have been wooden carried in the thickness of the wall. The interior of the church and the tower are inaccessible. The internal walls of the tower are covered with a whitewash render with evidence of redbrick inclusions in patches of the wall. Church building described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as following ; ‘Detached former Church of Ireland Church, built c.1670, consisting of a three-bay hall with attached four-stage tower on square-plan to the west end. Now a ruinous roofless shell. Constructed of rubble limestone, all detail is now obscured by heavy vegetation and ivy growth. Pollard Family vault, c.1679, under nave with finely carved blocking stone having inscription’ (www.buildingsofireland.ie). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 14 July 2015