Killinaboy Church

Situated to S of centre in a graveyard (CL017-020002-) on a low E-W ridge in pasture, overlooking a shallow valley to the S. Drawn as a rectangular building and named ‘Killinaboy Church (in ruins)’ on both the first (1842) and Cassini (1920) editions of the OS 6-inch map. Founded by (or dedicated to) Iníon Baoith, the daughter of Baoth/Baoith, a local saint of possible early medieval date (Macnamara 1907; MacMahon 2000). The construction of this currently roofless but otherwise well-preserved oblong church (22.25m E-W; 7.9m N-S) has been dated to between the 11th and 13th centuries, with a largescale rebuild in the late-15/16th century and further repairs in the early-18th century (Westropp 1894, 29; Harbison 1976; Swinfen 1992, 76; MacMahon 2000, 15). Much of the masonry in the N and W walls is original, although possibly rebuilt during later medieval modifications (Westropp 1900-1902, 139; Harbison 1976).

The W part of the N wall (L 13.57m) is original to a height of 3-4m; of cyclopean construction and incorporating a course (2.4m above ground level) of large stones set alternately with thin slabs (Harbison 1976, 3). The newer portion of the wall is identifiable by the prevalence of smaller stones and the top of the wall has an external overhang for drainage. The E part of the wall (L 8.68m) projects slightly (0.18m) to the N from the wall’s original line and has a slight external base-batter. This projection may mark the divide between the church’s nave and chancel after its 15th-century modification, although there is no visible dividing line on the inner wall-face. At the top of the N wall’s inner face is a neat overhang of continuous dressed corbels, one of which bears a mason’s mark (Ua Cróinín 1994). There is a large, probably 17th-century rectangular window (Wth 0.77m; H 1.65m) with a lintelled embrasure in the E part of the N wall while farther to the E is a small round-headed and rubble-blocked doorway (Wth 0.67m; max. D 0.25m), most which is now below present ground level. This is traditionally said to be an entrance to an O’Quin tomb or vault but may originally have led to a sacristy (MacMahon 2000, 15). It has also been suggested that the doorway may have been taken and reused from the nearby round tower (CL017-020003-), c. 15m to the N (Barrow 1979, 63).

The exterior of the E gable wall has two base-buttresses which appear to be original: one (Wth 1m; H 1.5m) at the N end of the wall and another (Wth 1.2m) at the centre. The latter is positioned below a window with four lights in its lower section, a three-light upper panel, an unusual transom/cross-bar (Westropp 1900-1902, 139-140; Swinfen 1992, 76; Large 2011), and an elaborate arch with three circular opes (now filled in). The window heads appear to be of ogee or cusped-ogee form – pointed on the exterior, rounded on the interior (see also Comber 1997, 12; Westropp 1900-1902, 140; Large 2011). On the window interior there are bar-slots (min. D 0.2m) to close shutters, while the window embrasure has a round head.

The S wall appears to have been entirely rebuilt, probably in the 15th century, and is rendered externally. Like the N wall opposite, the top of the S wall’s inner face has an overhang of continuous dressed corbels. It contains a plain round-headed doorway (Wth 1.22m; H 2.15m) set in a flat arched embrasure and there is a sheela-na-gig (CL017-020014-) above on the outer wall face. Inside the doorway, at the top of the W jamb, the wall-plaster is missing, exposing a stone (L 0.57m; H 0.21m; min. D 0.13m) carved with a high-relief grotesque Hiberno-Romanesque figure - a double coil ending in a beast’s head, although the stone does not appear to be in its original position (Ua Cróinín 1994). There is a narrow light (Wth 0.17m; H 0.85m) toward the W end of the wall while in the E part there are two pointed windows in splayed embrasures. Each window once held tracery which has been almost totally removed. Westropp (1900-1902, 140) considered these windows ‘very late’, noting their brick arches.

The W gable wall is original except for the apex, with a clear distinction between the older cyclopean masonry and the new upper section of smaller stones. Two antae (Wth 0.46-0.5m) survive up to c. 1m below the gable, above which the wall was rebuilt. Built into the outer face of the W wall is an unusual double-armed cross (Harbison 1976) with its base 2.2m above ground level and projecting in low relief (H c. 0.05m) from the wall-face. The inner wall-face has a tall batter (H c. 3m) which appears to date to the church’s 15th-century remodelling.

Within the church, in the N wall, a large tomb recess (Wth 2.3m; H 1.9m; D 0.5m) with a trefoil head and simple moulding has been in use by the McGann family apparently since the late-19th century (Westropp 1894, 27). Also against the N wall, the 19th-century table tomb of Rev. Patrick Hare has a possible 17th-century inscription to husband and wife Melaghlin Oge O’Hehir and More Hogan on the wall above (Neylon 1998). At the N end of the E wall’s inner face is an ambry filled with stone debris (Westropp 1900-1902, 140; Large 2011) and there is a corbel in the NE corner. The S wall is plastered internally. At the E end of this wall-face is an O’Neilan memorial (CL017-0200012-). Between the two pointed windows in the E part of the S wall is an O’Flanagan memorial (CL017-020011-) and just W of the doorway is an incised O’Hehir memorial (dated 1711).

There are the remains of a round tower (CL017-020003-) c. 15m to the N, within the graveyard (CL017-020002-) which also contains is a medieval graveslab (CL017-020005-) in the SW corner and a medieval architectural fragment (CL017-020006-) reused in the graveyard’s E wall.