Old Kilcullen Church

To NE of centre in a graveyard (KD028-049011-) on an early monastic site (KD028-049001-). Part of a National Monument (No. 71) in state ownership. According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 4, 391-93), the church retained its dedication to St MacTail throughout the Middle Ages suggesting a direct continuity with the original pre-Norman monastic foundation. It was one of the churches confirmed to Glendalough in 1179 by Pope Alexander III, and was subsequently granted to the Augustinian Holy Trinity in Dublin and remained in their possession throughout the Middle Ages. Evidently a church of some importance, in 1584 it had five annexed chapels. An episcopal visitation of 1615 noted that the chancel was in ruins, although the nave was sound, and in 1630 both were reported to be ‘in reasonable reparation’. Grose (1791) shows the building roofed with an additional structure attached at N. The remains comprise portions of the wall footings of the nave (15.5m E-W; 4.5m N-S) and chancel (4.5m E-W; 4m N-S) built of roughly coursed limestone blocks. The N walls of the nave and chancel are levelled, and only portions of the N and S walls of the chancel survive. The E wall of the chancel is a later insertion, the S wall of the nave is buttressed and the W door is represented by two splays. In 2000, O Carragáin (pers. comm.) noted a granite slab (L 1.86m; Wth 0.64m) with a circular notch (diam. 0.14m) at one end and a circular perforation (diam. 0.13m) at the other – a possible threshold stone. In July 2019, Seán Sourke recorded the presence of the base plinth of Romanesque date which is decorated with an angle roll that may have come from the base of the chancel arch. This fragment appears to be the same stone that was uncovered during archaeological excavations carried out on the church in 1939 (Ó h-Iceadha 1941, 150). At this time the excavators uncovered the base of the chancel arch which was the only fragment found in situ. The excavator described the base as being of 'the bulbous type and closely resembles the base of the chancel arch of the Nuns' Church at Clonamcnoise. These excavations uncovered several fragments of worked stone in area where the chancel arch stood. Two types of worked stone was uncovered consisting of a friable granite and a calciferous tufa.

In 1939 the church remains were described as following; 'Internally the nave measured 50 ft. 3 ins. [15.3m] x 18 ft. 3 ins. [5.5m] with side walls 2 ft. 9 ins. [0.83m] thick. The western or end wall of the nave was 3 ft. [0.9m] in thickness. The chancel, which had been cut off from the nave by a wall with a door opening inserted in the arch - possibly during the 18th century - measured 13 ft. 4 ins. [4m] in width and had side walls 2 ft. 8 ins. [0.8m] thick. Two buttresses, erected as a support to the south wall of the nave, and portion of a wall which formed part of an extension on the north side are indicated on the plan. The entrance at the western end of the nave was splayed as shown but there was no indication of recessive orders. Traces of a porch, excavated outside the west door, would also appear to have formed part of a restoration' (ibid., 151).