St. Dubhán's Church, Churchtown, Hook Peninsula

Located on the level landscape of the low-lying and narrow part (L c. 4.5km NE-SW; Wth c. 600m-1.5km NW-SE) of Hook peninsula. This is the site of St. Dubhán’s church and of the parish church of Hook within a subrectangular graveyard (dims c. 40m NE-SW; c. 40m NW-SE) defined by earthen banks with external stone-facing on all sides except the SE where a masonry wall with an internal earthen bank borders a public road. St Dubhán was a Welsh saint and a son of Breacaun, whose church (WX054-003002-) is c. 3.3km to the NE on the E side of the peninsula. Dubhán probably settled here in the 5th century, and the peninsula was called Rinn Dubhán Ailithir – the point of Dubhán, the pilgrim - in honour of him. The word ‘dubhán’ means ‘fishing hook’ in Irish, and the modern name, which can be traced from 1370 AD, is a direct translation (Redmond 1897, 213-5; Hore 1900-11, vol. 4, 400).

The monks adopted the Augustinian rule and the name of St. Saviour’s in the late 13th century Culleton 1999, 129), but the identification (Ffrench 1898) with St. Saviour’s in New Ross (WX029-013074-) is erroneous. In 1245 the monks were commanded to maintain the light on the tower (WX054-010----) they had built at the tip of the peninsula, c. 1.2km to the S. After the Suppression of the Knights Templar of Templetown (WX049-007----) in 1314, the lighthouse was held by the Sovereign (mayor) and Corporation of New Ross, and 12 acres at Hook were divided between the monks and the custodian of the tower (Hore 1900-11, vol. 4, 404). John Wilson was vicar in 1460 and Henry Levet was appointed vicar in 1543 (ibid. vol. 4, 406). Hook parish was impropriate to the Knights Hospitallers of Kilcloggan (WX049-004001-) at the Suppression in 1541 (White 1943, 102), and according to the Royal Visitation of Bishop Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 Thomas Fleming was the vicar and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 269).

The surviving church consists of a nave (ext. dims 13.7m E-W; 6.05m N-S; int. dims 11.58m E-W; 4.51m N-S), which was built around the core of an early church that was extended to the W. A chancel (ext. dims 8.1m E-W; 5.05m N-S; int. dims 7.6m E-W; 3.7m N-S) was added, and the church survives almost complete, except the N wall of the chancel which is damaged. The E end of the nave (original ext. L 7.3m plus) is earlier than the W end, and the E end has the remains of an antae at N (Wth 0.53m), distinguished by the use of Old Red Sandstone, and possibly at S also. The scar of a destroyed round-headed window is visible over the destroyed chancel arch. A round-headed doorway of undressed stone (Wth 0.7m; H 1.37m) was inserted into the E end of the N wall, and an inserted window embrasure (destroyed) to its E is not exactly opposite the inserted window embrasure (Wth 1.1m; H 1.1m) on the S wall, which did not have to accommodate an inserted doorway. The stonework of these windows is missing.

Opposing round-headed doorways were provided at S (Wth 0.96m; H 1.35) and N (Wth 0.8m; H 1.53m) in elliptical-headed embrasures (Wth 1.34m at N; 1.23m at S) towards the W end of the nave in the new walling. The N doorway has the remains of a rectangular stoup in Dundry stone (Wth 0.29m; H 0.15m) on the E jamb. West of the new doorways three corbels in the N and S walls indicate a gallery. A double bellcote over the W gable had openings of different sizes, but this feature fell c. 1998. There are some putlog-holes in this gable, but there is no window.

The chancel has a three-light (Wth 0.22m; H 1.64-1.78m) ogee-headed window with glazing-grooves on the E wall that is constructed in a coarse Old Red Sandstone conglomerate. There is a statue shelf (Wth 0.6m; T 5-6cm; D 0.25m) partly blocking an ogee-headed niche (Wth 0.42m; H 0.94m; D 0.28m) at the N end of the E wall, and there is a piscina in Dundry in a pointed aumbry (Wth 0.51m; H 0.66m; D 0.25m) at the E end of the S wall. There are three windows on the S wall, all constructed in Dundry in lintelled embrasures. The E and central windows are damaged but have rebates for shutters, while the W light is pointed and chamfered (Wth 0.22m; H 0.92m) in an intact embrasure (Wth 0.85m; H 1.32m). Damage at the W end of the N wall may obscure a window, but the large tomb-niche (Wth 1.9m; H 1.22m; D 0.23m) in Dundry with one order and a keel-moulding was inserted as an Easter Sepulchre.

Outside the N nave wall is a recumbent slab (dims 1.55m x 0.62-0.64m) with a crudely incised latin cross (H 0.8m; Wth 0.5m) consisting of two incised lines (Wth of stem 0.1m; Wth of arms 0.1m). Just E of the chancel is a small granite cross (H 0. 0.39m; Wth 0.32m) with a square cross-section (dims 0.1m x 0.1m). On one face is an incised cross (H 0.21m; Wth 0.11m) with expanded terminals. This cross is probably 18th century in date but it was moved here from St. Brecaun’s church (WX054-003002-) c. 1900 (Colfer 1978, 13-4). Duffins Well (WX054-005----), which may be a holy well related to this church, is c. 850m to the NNE.

The church was completely conserved and the bellcote reconstructed in 2106 by Wexford County Council, when further dressed stones, including a piece with possible Romanesque decoration, were discovered, archaeological supervision (E004655) being provided by Catherine McLoughlin (2017; excavations.ie 2016:325).