Nohaval Church

The ruins of the medieval parish church of Nohaval (An Nuachabháil) stands in the centre of a small square-shaped graveyard (KE039-014003-). The church and graveyard stands in the townland of Ballyegan, Parish of Nohaval, Diocese of Ardfert, Barony of Trughanacmy. In 1302 the papal taxation of the Deanery of Hacnye in the Diocese of Ardfert valued the church of 'Novchonwale' at £1 per annum with the tithe valued at 2s. (Cal. doc. Ire., Vol. 5, 296). In 1476, John Machonnchur, clerk, of the diocese of Ardfert, informed the pope; 'that David Oryede, perpetual vicar of parish church of Hochowall [Nohoval] [in the said diocese of] Ardfert, has alienated both immoveable and precious moveable goods of the said vicarage, and is a notorious fornicator' (Cal. papal letters Vol 13, 440). The pope ruled that 'if they find the foregoing to be true, to deprive and remove him, and in that event to collate and assign to John the said vicarage, the value of which and of the rectory of Hochowall (provision of which the pope has this day granted to the same John, as void by the deprivation of the said David) does not exceed 7 marks sterling' (ibid.). The advowson of this church was held by the Earl of Desmond (O'Connell and Costello 1958, 29). In 1615 the Royal Visitation of the Diocese of Ardfert recorded the following details about Nohaval Church; 'Parsonadge of Noghavayle and Vicar of Kilcomyne. John Gearrott minister legens. Valoris 6 libri both. Church and Chancell well' (Murphy 1915, 184).

In 2010 a graveyard survey carried out by Laurence Dunne recorded the following details: 'An account of Nohoval is recorded in 1841...The old church of this parish is situated in a small graveyard...It is one oblong house measuring on the inside fifty-one feet [15.5m] in length and seventeen feet six inches [5.3m] in breadth; its walls are three feet three inches [1m] in thickness, and the side walls originally about nine feet [2.7m] in height and built of limestone and sand cement. The side walls are nearly destroyed, but a part of the east gable and nearly the entire west gable are standing. All its features are destroyed except the east window but even this is so disfigured and veiled in ivy that its dimensions cannot be given or characteristics described. This church is only a few centuries old (O’Donovan 1983, 74). Interestingly, O’Donovan’s other contemporaneous account of Nohoval in the OSNB differ somewhat from the above in that he gives the church as 50 feet [15.2m] by 20 feet [6m] respectively. He also states that the walls are partly reduced to ground and partly to 12 feet [3.6m] high and that the west gable is standing to about 15 feet [4.5m] (OSNB Vol 1, 1841).

Today the relict remains of the rectangular medieval parish church of Nohoval essentially comprises the reduced remains of the east elevation that has an internal above ground register of 1.6m and a west gable that raggedly survives to almost full height. The northern and southern elevations are more or less destroyed to ground level. The most coherent sections of surviving masonry comprise two nibs that abut the west gable and are circa 1m high especially at the south and south-east where they have been tidied up. Three dilapidated tombs and a single grave setting are located within the interior and are much overgrown. There is no visible evidence for an entrance doorway. The church is constructed with uncoursed rubble limestone bedded in lime mortar. Some squared and dressed ashlar blocks are also evident here and there on the west gable.

East gable

Only the central lower area of the east gable survives including the ragged robbed out remains of a splayed window embrasure. Only two dressed and chamfered side stones survive.

West gable

Several recently collapsed large blocks were recorded at the north-west corner of the structure. The gable almost survives to full height and was lit by a single central light with a splayed embrasure. The flat lintel of the window still miraculously survives. Immediately beside the largely robbed out window is a large ragged robbed out breach. Part of the lower limits of the breach has been partially replaced with collapsed masonry.

Originally the west gable was supported by two side buttresses on the south and north, portions of both survive to a greater degree at the south and to a much lesser degree at the north where only a single dressed stone survives. Otherwise the north buttress comprises of a ragged projecting core of rubble. The southern corner buttress survives better with a number of its dressed masonry still present including a number of its topmost chamfered string. There is no doubt that without these two buttresses, the west gable would have collapsed previously'.