Church (in Ruins) — Inchbofin

National Monument No. 213. The monastery on the island of Inchbofin [Inis Bó Finne), in Lough Ree, Co. Westmeath was founded by Moríog also known as St. Ríog/Ríoch or Doríog in the 5th century (Harbison 1970, 243; Ó Riain 2011, 497). Moríog was a nephew of St. Patrick and one of seven sons of Restitutus (Rhystud) of the Maca Baird (Lombards) and brother to Meal of Ardagh (Ó Riain 2011, 497). His feast day fell on the 1st of August. A holy well dedicated to this saint called Tobar Ríog / Tober Reeoge (RO042-037----) is located 13km to the NW in the townland of Toberreeoge in Co. Roscommon. It has been suggested that in the late medieval period the monastery was occupied by the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, and it was probably this order which made the additions to the abbey church at Inchbofin (De Paor 1962, 187). However no documentary evidence for the presence of Augustinians on this Island has been found to support this claim (Gwynn & Hadcock 1970, 37). At the NE corner of this small island, are the ruins of a multi-period church known as Inchbofin [Inisbofin] "Abbey" (WM015-001----; National Monument No. 213) and graveyard (WM015-001001-) standing in the E quadrant of a monastic enclosure or cashel defined by a drystone wall with the remains of a second church (WM015-001002-) located 120m to the S of the abbey church (CUCAP AJN054-056; AVO030-031; BGI008-009; BDV055-056). In 1912 the larger church known as the 'Abbey' was repaired by the Office of Public Works after these ruins were vested in the Board under the Irish Land Act of 1903 on the 16th of February, 1910 (Anon 1912, 80th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland). The abbey church was described in 1912 as 'measuring 44 feet 8 inches [13.6m] from east to west, has no chancel, it is 18 feet [5.5m] in width, and has a transept or side chapel 27 feet 7 inches [8.4m] added on the north side. West of this transept and entered from it is a vaulted sacristy, 20' 3" [6.2m] X 10' 6" [3.15m], with an apartment over it. The whole was surrounded by an ancient cashel (WM015-001003-) or enclosing wall of irregular shape. The remains indicate four different periods of construction, the earliest portion being the nave. The transept was added later, but it only extended 16 feet 3 inches [4.9m] in length northward, and was afterwards lengthened to 27 feet 7 inches [8.3m] when the sacristy and the apartment over it were added. The last addition seems to have been made at the end of the 13th or early 14th century, judging from the date of the transept windows, which belong to the decorated period. The principal feature now is the beautiful very early Romanesque window with the chevron and pellet ornament, the projecting piscina is also of a very primitive type. The nave had a west window, now destroyed, and in the south wall near it was a cut stone doorway now almost obliterated. In the same wall, but farther to the east, is a plain narrow window with external chamfer and rebate, also splayed jambs and sill, of which the lower part only remains. Between this window and the east wall are an unusual projecting piscina and an aumbry with angular head. The projecting stone piscina is square on top, 7" [0.17m] x 7" [0.17m], and is 5 inches [0.12m] in height or thickness. The angles are sloped off so as to make the lower side of the stone pentagonal. The circular basin is 5 inches [0.12m] diameter and 11 inches [0.27m] in depth; there is a small overflow channel leading from it into the wall. The aumbry is 14 inches [0.35m] wide and 15 inches [0.38m] deep; the top is formed of two stones set at an angle. There are no remains of the east window; part of the altar of plain stonework remains, 6 feet 2 inches [1.9m] long by 3 feet 5 inches [1m] wide. Near the east angle of the north wall is the interesting Romanesque window, the stones forming which have been reset; it is round headed and splayed, the sill sloped and stepped. Some of the stones of the upper part of the outer face are missing. The interior elevation is quite perfect, and is decorated on the jambs and reveals as well as on the soffit of the arch with a slightly sunk band of chevrons bordered on each side by a row of small pellets. This running pattern is composed of two broad chevrons with a narrow one between, and this arrangement is continued around the arch. The triangular spaces between the chevrons and the band of pellets are filled on the jambs by a set of four lines, the inner pair joining to form a V, the outer nearly equal and parallel to them. The similar angular spaces on the arch ring are occupied by a small fret pattern,which resembles and may have been suggested by those on the early sepulchral slabs. The transept is approached from the nave by an opening 9 feet [2.7m] in width; the north and east walls have each a late 13th century two-light tracery window, the stones forming the tracery of the eastern are missing, but the northern window is complete. In the east wall can be seen part of a narrow splayed and chamfered window 5 inches [0.12m]in width, which was built up when the later window was inserted. Part of an altar remains against this wall, its base is 9' [2.74m] x 3' 6" [1m]. The north window is complete, it is neatly moulded and cusped, a human head forms the finial of the external hood moulding. The sacristy on the west has a door from the transept and a small splayed window in the north end; there are no other windows in this apartment. The vaulted roof is segmental in shape, 11 feet [3.35m] span and 2 feet [0.6m] rise, and shows the marks of wickerwork centering. Over the vaulted floor is an apartment which has a narrow cusped window 7" [0.17m] x 3' 10" [1.1m]. There are four rectangular recesses in this wall, two east of the window, one to the west, and the fourth is a larger one above it. There appears to have been a window, now gone, in the middle of the west wall; as well as a recess near the north end and a small window near the south end. The nave is of better construction than the addition to the north of it, which is not bonded to the work of the nave. Attached to the cashel on the south is a small rectangular building (WM015-001004-) of ancient masonry, but so defaced that no architectural features can be seen' (Anon 1912, 80th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland). The repairs on this abbey church that were carried out in 1912 were recorded as following; ’the ruins when vested were found to be in a very neglected condition. The "Abbey" or larger church, was covered with a thicket of bramble, through which it was almost impossible to enter or discover the plan of the ruin. It was necessary to remove shrub roots and ash trees from the interior and to clear down the debris to the original floor level, which was brought to an even surface and sown with grass seed. All ivy was removed from the walls, which were found to be badly injured by it. The stones forming the beautiful early Romanesque window in north-east angle of the nave which had been displaced by the ivy were reset with close joints and the top of the arch was weathered in concrete. The window of south-east angle of the nave had the sill and four of the jamb stones found in the debris reset. The south door of the nave had the jamb stones found in the debris reset for 3 feet 6 inches [1.1m] in height. The joints of the masonry of all the walls were carefully pointed in cement mortar and protected on top with a weathering coat to prevent infiltration of water, and the floor of the apartment over the vaulted roof of the sacristy was concreted. The cashel wall (WM015-001003-) enclosing the site was repaired by raising it in height and making use of the loose stones found in and around the ruin’ (Anon 1912, 80th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland). Nine early Christian cross-slabs (WM015-001007-/015-) were uncovered during the ground clearance works carried out in the vicinity of