Ruinis of Clonee Church

Situated on top of a prominent local hill surrounded by Clonee townland, with a S-N section of the River Boyne c. 460m to the W. A church at Clonly is listed in the deanery of Clonard in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire., 5, 257). Ussher (1622), describes Cloney as a chapel-of-ease to Trim, which was in a decayed condition (Erlington 1847-64, 1, lxxxiii). According to Dopping (1682-5) the St Magalee (Magdalene ?) chapel at Cloney belonged to Trim, but only the walls were standing and it was not enclosed (Ellison 1972, 13). The church is evident as a grass covered platform (dims 10.5m E-W; c. 5m N-S) defined by scarps at N and E and with a cairn (max. dims 10m NNE-SSW; 4.4m WNW-ESE; max. H 1m) at the W end. The graveyard is an oval area (max. dims c. 95m NW-SE: c. 45m NE-SW) defined by earthen banks and hedges extending as far as a NNE-SSW public road at SE but the few headstones date from 1742 to 2004 and are close to the church. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 20 March, 2015

The ruins of Clonee Church were likely built in the early medieval period, probably before 1302, when it was recorded in the ecclesiastical taxation of the deanery of Clonard. Its location on a prominent hill suggests a strategic and religious significance, possibly dedicated to an early Christian tradition associated with the Clonard monastery.