Templemichael, Templemichael

On a flat raised platform in gently undulating terrain, the ground sloping to the W beyond the graveyard wall. A road runs N-S along the E side of the graveyard and the Lingaun river is c. 170m to the W. Power (1908, 200-201) suggests that this is the church of 'Athnacarbad', which translates as the 'Ford of the Chariots', and is mentioned in the Visitations of Elizabeth I and the Taxation of Pope Nicholas. The church is located in the NW quadrant of a roughly rectangular graveyard (TS072-002002-). Only the foundations of one wall (L 5.9m; max. Wth 0.95m), running E-W, survive. Four limestone architectural fragments are re-used as headstones, including a mullion with chamfered edges, two mullions with hollow chamfers and an external rebate, and a chamfered sill/lintel. A bullaun stone (TS072-002003-) has been fixed onto a stone pier in the E wall of the graveyard. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011

Templemichael church is believed to have been founded in the 7th or 8th century, dedicated to St Michael, and is associated with early Christian monastic settlement in the region. Its location and dedication reflect the typical characteristics of early Irish churches, often sited near water sources and on elevated ground for strategic and symbolic reasons.