Templebeg

On a low hillock, it is enclosed by a rectangular wall but no trace of a graveyard is visible. It comprises a small well-preserved rectangular building (E-W; L 8.9m, Wth 5.25m ext.), complete with a slated roof and cross on E gable. There is a trabeate doorway in W gable which has chamfered jambs externally. This is surmounted by a plaque bearing the crest of the Blake family, dated 1688. There is also a narrow single-light flat-headed window in E gable: externally its jambs are chamfered and there are traces of a moulding around the sill. The exterior and interior are plastered and the latter is roofed by a vaulted ceiling. The interior contains a burial vault of the Blake family and a number of architectural fragments. Possibly an early oratory refurbished as a mortuary chapel: according to local tradition, mass was celebrated here in Penal times. An enclosure (GA060-177----) lies c. 100m to SW. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). Date of upload: 05 August 2010