Religious house

According to Gwynn and Hadcock (1988, 337), this site was confirmed to the Knights Hospitallers by Pope Innocent III in 1212. In 1333-4, William was chaplain 'of the house of Kilbeg' which was likely at this time to have been 'a limb' of Kilmainham (the priory and chief house of the Knights in Ireland). It was probably farmed out in the 14th century becoming a 'liber hospes'. In 1540, an inquisition listed its possessions as; two messuages, 180 acres arable, 100 acres common, with tithes and alterages, value £13 6s 8d; over and above this the manor and rectory were held from Kilmainham at £10 by David and Edward Sutton and a stipendary priest served the church. The surviving remains comprise a church (KD013-019002-), graveyard (KD013-019003-) and a possible ecclesiastical enclosure (KD013-019005-). It is also, reputedly, the original location of a font (KD013-019004-) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011