Unofficial guide. Not the National Monuments Service, the OPW, Fáilte Ireland or the landowner. Disclaimer
At a glance
- TypeChurch
- Date or period mentionedmedieval
- Condition (as surveyed)Ruined
What to look for
- Nave and chancel
- Graveyard
Picked out from the Archaeological Survey description below.
Can you visit?
- No source says it is open to the public.Most monuments in Ireland stand on private farmland.
- Ask the landowner before crossing fields, close gates, leave the stones as you find them.Visiting responsibly
History and description
Located on a slight rise in a fairly level landscape, with the S-N Skane Rive c. 100-170m to the E. A church at Kilmessan is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire., 5, 255). Ussher (1622) describes the church as reasonably repaired but the chancel as ruined (Erlington 1847-64, 1, lxxiv).
Full archaeological record 140 words
Located on a slight rise in a fairly level landscape, with the S-N Skane Rive c. 100-170m to the E. A church at Kilmessan is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire., 5, 255). Ussher (1622) describes the church as reasonably repaired but the chancel as ruined (Erlington 1847-64, 1, lxxiv). According to Dopping's Visitation Book (1682 5) the church and chancel had been ruined since 1641 and the graveyard was not enclosed (Ellison 1972, 7). The present Church of Ireland church was built in 1731 (Lewis 1837, 2, 178). The site of the medieval parish church is within a subrectangular graveyard (dims c. 60m N-S; c. 55m E-W) defined by masonry walls, with trees inside the perimeter. Headstones date from 1705 to 1924, but there are no visible remains of the medieval church.
Archaeological Survey of Ireland, National Monuments Service (CC BY 4.0) · Compiled by Michael Moore · Updated 11 March, 2015 · Based on the Archaeological Inventory of County Meath. It describes the site as it was when surveyed.
More ancient churches nearby
National MonumentChurch of St Nicholas
Church · Dunsany · Meath · 3.7 km away
National MonumentCannistown Church
Church · Ardsallagh · Meath · 6.7 km away
Visitor site National MonumentSkreen Church
Church · Skreen · Meath · 7.1 km away
Trim Cathedral
Church · Townparks North · Meath · 8.7 km away
National MonumentSt. Seachnall's Church
Church · Dunshaughlin · Meath · 9.3 km away
Athlumney Church
Church · Athlumney · Meath · 10 km away
Visitors' notes
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Around Kilmessan Church
Other heritage nearby
- Dunsany Castle and DemesneCastle · 3.6 km
- Hill of TaraHillfort · 3.7 km
- Bective AbbeyAbbey or friary · 3.9 km
- Lady WellHoly well · 4.9 km
- Skryne CastleCastle · 7.0 km
- St. John's PrioryAbbey or friary · 7.2 km
Recorded within 5 km
- 17 ringfortsArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 8 castlesArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 7 ancient churchesArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 2 holy wellsArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 1 hillfortArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 1 abbey or friaryArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 1 megalithic tombArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 1 standing stoneArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 1 monastic siteArchaeological Survey of Ireland
Walks and trails
- Meath Heritage Trail Cycle RouteRoad Cycling Trail · 49.4 km · nearest point 0.1 km
- Boyne Blueway - Trim to BectivePaddling Trail · 8.5 km · nearest point 3.8 km
- Trim Porch Field Family / Buggy Friendly WalkWalking Trail · 1.6 km · nearest point 7.5 km
Outdoors, towns and places to stay
- TrimWalled towns · 8.7 km
- NavanWalled towns · 11 km
- Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage SiteUNESCO · 20 km
Other attractions nearby
- Bective AbbeyAbbeys and Monastery · 3.9 km
- Skryne ChurchHistoric Houses and Castle · 7.1 km
- Go Fishing IrelandNature and Wildlife · 7.2 km
- Trim CastleHistoric Houses and Castle · 8.6 km
What's on nearby
- Spirits of Meath2026-11-08 · 5.2 km
- Romeo & Juliet, Ballet Ireland2026-12-18 · 10 km
- Romeo & Juliet, Ballet Ireland2026-12-19 · 10 km
Excavations nearby
- E3083 Ballinter 1, County MeathRoad-scheme excavation report (TII) · 4.4 km
- E3084 Ballinter 2, County MeathRoad-scheme excavation report (TII) · 4.5 km