St Fineens Ch. (in ruins)

On generally level ground with a slight slope to the E. The River Rine flows N-S at the base of the hill 50m to the E, in marshy terrain. There is a modern housing estate to the NW. Quin Abbey lies c. 80m to the E. There are fair-good views in all directions, though the views are impeded to the E by Quin Abbey, to the S by a house and to the W by a housing estate. Listed erroneously in the SMR (1992) and the RMP (1996) as being in Commons townland. A parish church dedicated to St. Finghin which was built c. 1278 by Thomas de Clare (Westropp 1900-2, 148; Anon. 1900, 439). The church is surrounded by a graveyard (CL042-027004-), though only the area S of the church is enclosed and evident as a graveyard. A possible ecclesiastical enclosure (CL042-027007-) is indicated on the 1840 OS 6-inch map. An undivided church (24m E-W; 8.2m N-S), built of roughly coursed limestone rubble. The NW angle has been rebuilt and the N wall does not survive. A later wall has been built roughly on the line of the N wall, possibly incorporating some of the original masonry at foundation level. Particularly large blocks of masonry have been used in the lower courses of the W gable, up to c. 4m. Externally a clasping buttress projects from the NE and SW angle and two angle buttresses from the SE angle. Though built of well-cut ashlar masonry, these buttresses appear to be contemporary with the original 13th-century church. The SE buttresses (total H c. 4.6m) have a battered base (H c. 3m) and are capped with sloping masonry (H c. 0.6m), with a projecting roll-moulding running along the top and a concave moulding along the base of the slope. The buttress at the NE angle is taller, less well preserved at the top and takes a different form from those at the SE angle, in that it is a clasping buttress which wraps around the NE angle. The buttress at the SW angle was modified in the 15th century when a bell-tower was built on this angle. The bell-tower forms a slender square tower which rises above the apex of the church. Externally there is a string-course below the two upper floors and it is capped by crenellations which rest on a projecting stone course. The top floor has a flat-headed single-light window in the W and E face and a flat-headed two-light window in the N and S face, though the mullion is gone from the N window. The floor below has a flat-headed single-light window in the W face. At the N end of the W gable inside the church there is a narrow doorway which gives access to a small square vaulted chamber (1.3m x 1.3m) at the base of the bell-tower. This chamber is lit by a flat-headed loop in the N wall. A narrow rectangular chute (Wth 0.22m; D 1.35m) runs through the overhead vault along the N wall and is the width of the chamber, its function was presumably to facilitate the bell rope(s). The upper levels of the bell-tower were accessed from a flat-headed doorway at the S end of the W gable just below roof level, presumably accessed from a wooden stair within the church. There are traces of external harling on the E gable which also has a number of put-log holes, particularly above window height. The church may originally have been entered through a W doorway, as disturbed masonry suggests there was a centrally placed doorway (H c. 2m; Wth c. 1.9m) in this gable. The surviving broken-out doorway, with hanging-eye and draw-bar hole, is at the W end of the S wall. The interior of the church was lit by a triple-light of graduated lancets in the E gable, two windows towards the E end of the S wall and a blocked up window at gallery level in the W gable. The westernmost window in the S wall is a pointed two-light, with external rebate and chamfer, and sandstone used in the easternmost window head. The stone at the base of the external masonry mullion (Wth 0.95m) is a reused chamfered window surround with mullion. The window closest to the altar is broken out, only the W side of the inner straight-sided embrasure survives. The large opening suggests that this was originally a two-light window. The W embrasure surround is moulded limestone, with a filleted roll-mould on the angle, flanked by a roll-mould on either side. The E window is flanked by two wall niches, a round-headed probable statue niche to the S and a slightly collapsed depressed arch niche to the N. See attached photographs: CL042-027003-_01 External view from the SW CL042-027003-_02 External view of E gable CL042-027003-_03 External view of E gable and N wall CL042-027003-_04 External view of W gable and W wall of bell-tower CL042-027003-_05 Interior E gable and S wall CL042-027003-_06 External view of two-light window in S wall CL042-027003-_07 Internal view of two-light window in S wall CL042-027003-_08 External view of broken out two-light window in S wall CL042-027003-_09 Detail of moulding on interior of broken out two-light window in S wall CL042-027003-_10 SW angle of church – interior Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 29 November 2017

St Fintan's Church at Quingardens is a ruined ecclesiastical site associated with the early medieval monastic settlement of Quin Abbey, likely founded in the 7th century. The church is dedicated to St Fintan (also known as St Fineen), a 6th-century Irish saint, and reflects the influence of monastic Christianity in the region.