St. Abbans Nunnery (Site of) — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

St. Abban founded a nunnery of canonesses at the west end of Killeagh in the sixth century, though some traditions credit Id or Liber, a disciple of St. Finbarr, with raising the first church instead. The building has vanished without a visible trace, leaving only a graveyard marker where women once prayed, worked and died beneath an open sky.

In a graveyard (CO066-041001-) at the W end of Killeagh village. The 1934 OS 6-inch map indicates 'St. Abban's Nunnery (site of)'. Smith (1750 vol. 1, 124) states 'at this place, was an ancient nunnery of canonesses, founded by St. Abban, in the sixth century' (see also Gwynn & Hadcock 1988, 391); Henchion (1972, 76) points out that 'another body of opinion .... claims in contradiction that the first church ... was raised by Id or Liber, a disciple of St. Finbarr'; no visible surface trace of ancient remains. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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