Kilcash Church

On a S-facing slope in hilly terrain, on the SE slopes of Slievenamon, the church is sited on a break of slope at the N end of a graveyard (TS078-036003-), with a mausoleum immediately to the E. Kilcash tower house (TS078-037----) is clearly visible c. 100m to the E. The church of Kilcash is on the site of a monastic foundation associated with the 6th century saint Colman ua hEirc (Burke 1895, 266). The Annals of the Four Masters record the death of “Diarmuid of Cill Caisi” in 846 AD who, according to Burke (ibid.), was Colman's successor as abbot, though this interpretation has been questioned (Flood & Flood 1999, 27). In c. 1190-1200 the church was granted by Baldwin Niger to the Fratres Cruciferi hospital of the Priory of St John the Baptist without the Newgate in Dublin (ibid, 28). However, it was not until 1307-08 that the church was handed over by the Rev. Walter de Valle to the hospital (ibid.). This transfer of ownership was confirmed by the Bishop of Lismore between 1325 and 1354 (ibid.). Some years before the actual transfer, in 1260, the church was mentioned in a dispute between the bishops of Lismore and Cashel as being a parish church (Burke 1895, 266). According to Burke the church was enlarged in 1389. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540 the church was leased to John White for 13s 4d. (Flood & Flood 1999, 48). In 1615 the church is described as having the “chauncell repaired” with the “boddy of the church decaied” (ibid.). The Civil Survey (1654-6) refers to “a little church roofed” at Kilcash (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 271). The original church, now the chancel, is aligned roughly E-W, (int. dims. 6.75m E-W; 4.44m N-S; max. H 2.8m; wall T 0.86m) and was constructed of large crude stone blocks of roughly coursed sandstone. The N wall has been rebuilt, but there is a carved sandstone block which projects forward, possibly the remains of an original antae. The E gable survives to a height of approx. 2m with indications of a broken out window. The NE angle rests on a stone plinth which is also evident further along the E wall towards the S. The N wall is capped by concrete and the E and S walls have been consolidated with mortar. The W gable has a very steep pitch. The original doorway in the W gable was broken out when the nave was added onto the church and a chancel arch inserted in its place. The chancel arch is now destroyed. The wall above the former arch is now supported on a concrete lintel and has been partially reconstructed. There is clear evidence of alteration to the roof pitch on the N side. The supporting wall and roof pitch have been widened to accommodate the increased width of the nave. The E end of the S wall of the nave has been totally rebuilt. The fabric of the nave (int. dims. 11.38m E-W; 6.2m N-S) is roughly coursed, mainly of sandstone boulders, and was entered through a Romanesque sandstone doorway (H 2.26m; Wth 1.08m) at the W end of the S wall. It consists of three, very worn, decorative orders, including chevrons, and the original threshold was revealed during excavation (Sweetman 1984, 39). The nave was lit by two round-headed sandstone single-light windows at the E end of the N and S walls and a pointed single light in the centre of the W gable which has been crudely reconstructed. All are rebated internally and chamfered externally. There is a large break in masonry at the W end of the N wall opposite the doorway in the S wall. The W face of the chancel gable has a sandstone string-course (L 0.75m; D 0.14m; H above int. ground level 1.1m) S of the former chancel arch which consists of a worn sandstone moulding, now projecting internally into the nave. Some architectural fragments (TS083-019085-), two with Romanesque decoration, were uncovered in the NE angle of nave during excavation (ibid. 41).