What is recorded here

Bellhill in County Offaly holds a deserted medieval settlement where a fifth-century foundation became a priory, then a parish church, then a legal footnote. Double earthen banks still enclose the remains of a church, a low motte, and possibly an underground passage, while a thatched stone house served the community until the sixteenth century. What is missing is not grandeur but continuity: the priory shrank until six cottages and forty acres were all that remained to measure it.

Unlocated deserted medieval settlement possible that is described as a village in the townland of Aghamore c. 1550 (Byrne and Scully n.d. 15-17). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 May 2011

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.