Carrick Church (in ruins) — Newtown (shelmaliere West By., Carrick Ed)

Located on a N-facing slope of a small W-E spur in the valley of a S-N stream, which is c. 100m to the E. The parish church of Carrick dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra is within a neglected rectangular graveyard (dims c. 55m N-S; c. 50m E-W) defined by earthen banks. References date from 1404 when it was granted to St. Selskar’s abbey (WX037-032009-) (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 34 5). According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 this church was impropriate to Henry Wallop and the name of the priest, if any, is not recorded. Nor is the condition of the church building recorded (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 268). St. Nicholas, whose feastday falls on the 6th December, was a 4th century bishop in Turkey and a renowned gift-giver, on whom much of the character of Santa Claus is based.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas) accessed on (03/12/2012) The base of the clay-bonded walls (Wth 0.9m) of an undivided church (int. dims. 13.6m E-W; 6m N-S) survive (H 1-1.5m) with uncut quoins. There is an entrance (Wth 0.85m) towards the W end of the N wall with an area of collapse opposite it in the S wall. A damaged rectangular granite font (ext. dims 0.66m x 0.66m; D 0.14m) with a central drain-hole is almost buried inside the N church entrance. The site of St Nicholas' Well, at which patterns may have been held on 6th December (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 1, 357) lies in a ravine, c. 130m to the SE and on the opposite side of the stream. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 14 December, 2012 Amended: 2 Sep. 2013