Kilcleagh Church — Kilcleagh

Ivy-covered church ruins standing on a low rise of ground in the N quadrant of a roughly oval-shaped graveyard (WM036-009001-) which now occupies N quadrant of large modern cemetery located immediately to the S and W of the smaller graveyard. Kilcleagh Castle (WM036-011----) located 350m to the SSE. Church and graveyard may be situated inside possible ecclesiastical enclosure (WM036-009002-) (Swan 1988, 10). In the second half of the 15th century the vicarage of Kilcleagh was in the hands of the O’Malone/Ua Máeleoin family (Kehnel 1997, 194-5). In the 15th century the church of Kilcleagh was also known as Killeomilenyn, alias Kyllomyleon which was probably derived from Cell Ua Máeleoin [church of the Malone’s] (ibid., 195). The identification of Kilcleagh with 'Kyllomyleon' is problematical and may be incorrect, it is possible that Kyllomyleon may have been located closer to Ballynahown Castle which was the residence of the Malone family. The 1656 Down Survey map of Clonlonan Barony depicts 'Killomoltan' in the vicinty of Ballynahown Castle (WM035-011----) while the Down Survey parish map of Kilcleagh records that the townland of Ballynahown was also known as 'Killemoyllchan' (NLI MS 723-4). It is possible that the church at Killomenaghan (WM035-003----) may have been the church referred to in the papal letters as 'Kyllomyleon' rather than Kilcleagh. The church at 'Kyllomyleon' was a chapel of ease or a daughter chapel to the medieval parish church of Lochluacha [Ballyloughloe now Mount Temple (WM030-045001-)]. In 1452 the large medieval parish of Ballyloughloe [Lochluacha] was subdivided and the chapel of ‘Kyllomyleon’ became the perpetual vicarage of 'Kyllomileon' (Cal. papal letters, 541). In 1478 a papal letter to the abbot of Kilbeggan recorded that the perpetual vicarage of ‘Kyllonucon alias Kyncolman’ was vacant and it was ordered that the vicarage should be united to the vicarage of Ballyloughloe (Cal. papal letters, 66). Present remains consist of a large single cell ivy-covered church (int. dims. 16.15m E-W; 7.2m N-S; wall T 0.8m) the interior of which has been used as a burial place with memorials dating from the 18th century onwards. The walls of the church are constructed with limestone rubble with alternating dressed quoin stones. The W gable of the church is the best preserved wall standing to full height and is mainly covered in ivy. The ivy has been recent removed from a short section of this gable revealing an offset in the E face of the gable which supported a W gallery or wooden floor over the W end of the church. The N wall (H 2.5-3m) is covered with ivy with the remains of a blocked up window embrasure visible off centre to E. Only the lower wall courses of the E gable (H 1m) survives upstanding with no architectural features visible. A broken out doorway (ext. Wth 1m; int. Wth 1.4m) located off centre to W in S wall (H 2.3m) of the church gave access to the interior. The remains of a broken out window embrasure (int. Wth 1.7m) are visible off centre to E in the S wall of the church. Three cut stone window fragments belonging to the church appear to have been reused as grave markers to the S of the church. The faces of these chamfered window jambs have diamond-shaped sockets for the iron bars of a window grill. Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 05 August 2014