What is recorded here

Half a mile from the main road, two earthen banks still enclose the place where St Kieran the Elder is said to have founded a monastery in the fifth century. Inside that old religious boundary a Norman motte rises beside the stump of a round tower, as if one age of belief had simply accepted the ambitions of the next. By 1568 the priory had shrunk to a thatched stone house, six cottages and forty acres, yet its name still appeared in an inquisition, proving that even decline can keep a place alive in law.

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