(site of) St. Davids Church

Marked as the site of St. David’s Church on the 1839 and 1925 eds of the OS 6-inch map, and situated on the S bank of an E-W stream that enters the N-S River Slaney c. 1.2 km to the WSW. St. David of Menevia is the patron saint of Wales who died in 601 AD (Culleton 1999, 131). This is the site of the parish church of Ballynaslaney parish within a raised rectangular graveyard (dims. c. 33m E-W; c. 12m N-S; H 1.2-1.5m) defined by scarps but with only two headstones. The church may be the slightly raised area within (dims. 8m E-W; 4m N-S) that has some stones visible at its S edge. The doorway from this church is said to have been built into the church at Suanderscourt (WX037-017001-), c. 5.25km to the SSE (Lewis 1837, vol. 2, 198). St. David’s Well, a circular feature (diam. 1.25m) surrounded by a masonry wall with steps leading down to it, is just W of the graveyard. The stream from the well leads W to a small concrete bathhouse. The pattern is still held on the 1st March (O'Broin 1983-4, 32). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 31 August, 2012

St. Davids Church at Ballynaslaney was likely built in the early medieval period, dedicated to St. David of Menevia, and reflects a tradition of Celtic Christian worship in the region. Its location and long-standing mapping suggest continuity of religious significance in the local landscape.