St. Stephens Church (in ruins)

On relatively level ground immediately E of St. Stephen's Place and S of the Western Road. The church is situated at the N end of the graveyard (TS083-031001-). The earliest record to St. Stephen's lazar house (TS083-019036----) and attendant church is from the year 1510 (Lee 1966, 12-26). On the 20th of December of that year the Commissioner of the Bishop of Lismore and Waterford decided that the ecclesiastical revenues of St. Stephen's appertained to its rector and not to the Prior of Athassel (Lee 1966, 12-26). A Court Survey held at Clonmel on the 9th of August 1655 described St. Stephen's as 'wholly destroyed onely some part of the wall standing...' (Burke 1907, 244). The present remains consist of a much denuded church (dims. 18m x 9.5m), the ruined, low, side walls (max. H 0.9m; T 0.8m) and gable ends (W gable H 1.5m; E gable H 0.95m) of which are overgrown. At time of inspection the N wall was completely obscured by trees and bushes. According to the OS Letters (1840) there were two windows in the E gable, two in the S wall and one in the W gable (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 3, 78-9). They also noted that the upper area of the church was most likely used as a dwelling, evidenced by joist holes in the E gable at first-floor level and a chimney surmounting the W gable (ibid.). During the course of the ITA Survey (1942) the church was again recorded and at that time a small niche or aumbry was visible in the SE angle, a lance window in the E gable and a small ope in the S wall. There is no trace of the leper hospital mentioned in 1510. (Farrelly and FitzPatrick 1993, 65). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011

St. Stephen's Church in Toberaheena was likely built in the 17th or 18th century, dedicated to St. Stephen, and reflects a small rural ecclesiastical tradition. Its location near a historic lazaret and within a graveyard indicates its former role in local religious and social life.