Church (Site of) — Churchtown (forth By., St. Helen's Ed)

Situated on a level landscape. The parish church of Kilrane is within a rectangular graveyard (dims c. 45m E-W; c. 35m N-S) defined by earthen banks at E and S, buildings at W and the Roman Catholic church of St. Rhanus in Kilrane at N. The church was dedicated to St. Rane, whose feastday is the 15th April (Hore 1925, 13-15). This is St. Ruadhán of Lorrha, Co. Tipperary (TN004-010006-). A Life of the saint may have been written c. AD 750-800, but there are indications of a 12th century date and an association with the houses of Augustinian canons in the Life. Ruadhán was related through the Uí Dhuach with the Eoghanacht kings of Munster. He was educated by St. Finnian of Clonard (ME047-007----) and thereafter proceeded to found churches throughout Ireland, although Kilrane is not one of them. His death is recorded in AD 584. (Ó Riain 2011, 541-4) According to the Visitation of Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 the vicar was Richard Turner, and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 268). Only the W gable (incomplete L 4.9m; H 5.2m) of what must have been a large parish church survives. There are putlog holes in the surviving wall. The remains of a belfry are over the gable and there is a narrow window robbed of cut stone in an elliptical-headed embrasure. A photograph (Hore 1925, 14-5) shows a very tall complete belfry. 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: 6 January 2014