Kiltiernan Church

Within the ecclesiastical enclosure (GA113-139002-) at Kiltiernan. This church, a National Monument, is a two-period pre-Romanesque nave and chancel church in fair condition. Little is known of its history or founder but Fahey (1893, 94, 410-1) records a local tradition that this site was a daughter house of Kilmacduagh (see GA128-034001-). The nave (E-W: L 8.3m; Wth 4.35m), which is the original church with antae and a fine trabeate doorway in the W gable, is constructed of mortared limestone masonry with a rubble core; some very large squared blocks or slabs (L 1-1.7m) are visible in its lower courses. The W gable still survives almost to its full height whereas only the lower courses of the N and S side-walls survive. The latter contains a small triangular-headed window. The chancel (L 5.4m, Wth 4.35m) was added following the demolition of the E gable of the original church and the subsequent extension of its side-walls. Its fabric, though similar to that of nave, is of inferior workmanship and, again, only its lower courses now survive. Duignan's excavations (1951, 74) revealed that the original church overlay part of the ‘monastic cemetery’ (GA103-139004-), leading him to conclude that it replaced an earlier church 'still to be discovered'. (Westropp 1919, 178; Leask 1955, 52-3, 67; Waddell and Clyne 1995, 149-203)