What is recorded here

Bellhill in County Offaly holds a double-banked earthwork that once enclosed a fifth-century foundation attributed to St Kieran the Elder. A low motte and possible souterrain suggest the sacred site was later reshaped for secular defence, while a thatched stone house served as a parish church by 1568. What began as a pioneering Christian community became a modest priory, then a military anomaly, and finally a deserted settlement whose layered banks still mark the ground.

Unlocated deserted medieval settlement possible that is described as a village in the townland of Coole 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

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