Tullaherin Church

On the brow of a gentle S-facing slope commanding excellent views of the surrounding countryside, except directly W where ground level rises. The church is roughly aligned E-W, on the N boundary of the enclosed graveyard (KK024-062002-). Associated with the church are a round tower (KK024-062004-), c. 3m to the SW, two ogham stones (KK024-062005-; KK024-062009-) and cross base (KK024-062006-), as well as a number of graveslabs (KK024-062010-; KK024-062011-). The origins of Tullaherin are unclear as the name has changed over the centuries, however, Manning (1998, 19-21) argues that Tullaherin equates with Telach nInmainne which is mentioned in the annals in 1026 when it was raided and again in 1121 when the round tower was struck by lightning and stone from it fell, killing a student. As the patron saint of the church of Tullaherin is St. Ciarán, Manning (ibid.) suggests that Tullaherin may have been part of an amalgamation of churches connected with St. Ciarán of Seir at the time of the establishment of the diocese of Ossory in the 12th century (ibid.). According to the OS Letters (O’Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 87-8), written in 1839, ‘a pattern was held here not long since on the 5th of March’ in honour of the patron saint. In 1591, Robert Gaffney, rector of Tullaherin left 20 shillings in his will towards the repair of the vicar’s part of the church of ‘Tullagh’hyrne’ (Manning, 1998, 28). In the Royal Visitation of 1615 it is recorded, ‘Church and Chancel well’ (ibid.). However, a hundred years later, visitations in 1715 and 1731 record the chancel in use but the nave in ruin (ibid.). An illustration of the church published in 1813 shows the church in a ruinous condition (ibdi.).

This is a multi-period church. The earliest phase consists of a church with antae, which Ó Carragáin (2010, 110) suggests dates to the first half of the 11th century. During later building phases a chancel was added onto the E end and the original church was extended westward to create a longer nave (int. dims. 7.43m N-S; 19.67m E-W). The lower three courses of the earliest phase (int. dims. 6m E-W) are built of large roughly cut blocks of stone, with much smaller roughly coursed rubble masonry above this and large blocks forming two courses towards the top. The later stonework is all roughly coursed rubble. The chancel arch does not survive, though portion of the dividing wall or former E gable (T 0.8m) does, incorporating a massive stone block (1.3x x 0.8m). Apart from the antae (Wth 0.84m; L 0.47m) which project from the former E gable, the only surviving feature from the first phase is a window in the S wall with a large crude lintel and rubble window surrounds with shallow splayed ingoings. There is an indication, in the form of a decorated architectural fragment, that the church was remodelled in the 12th century (Breen 1992, 46-50). Manning (1998, 27) suggests that this fragment, consisting of an inner jamb stone of a splayed embrasure, with a continuous chevron design and a panel with a foliate pattern, may be part of a remodelled E window in the existing E gable or formed part of a new E window in an added small chancel, though there is no trace of this above ground.

The church was altered again, probably in the 13th century. Manning (ibid., 27) notes that the side walls were probably raised during this period, probably to accommodate the lowering of the roof pitch, which was usually very steep in 11th century churches. Also dating to this phase is the insertion of two large, tall, possibly lancet, windows at the E end of the nave in the N and S wall respectively. The inner E jamb of another window embrasure was also noted by Manning (ibid., 26) at the W end of the N wall, this was subsequently blocked up and the jamb is currently obscured by ivy. If this window also dates to the 13th century, then the nave was extended westward at this stage. The window at the E end of the N wall is only evident by the voussoirs of the round-headed embrasure, which are quite small, crude and set on edge and by the upper edges of the sides. The embrasure was subsequently blocked up and a window inserted. Opposite in the S wall is a similar round-headed embrasure, more exposed, though again obscured by the insertion of a later window. Some original render still remains on this embrasure. The present chancel may also date from the 13th century, however, no architectural features survive in the chancel (int. dims. 6m N-S x 9.67m E-W; wall T 0.85m; E gable T 0.94m) to aid the dating of this addition. The E window is gone and only the E gable and the E end of the S wall survive to any height. A rectangular mausoleum (ext. dims. 4.8m x 4m; H 1.6m), entered from its W side through a flat-headed doorway, was inserted into the E end of the chancel when the latter had fallen out of use. A doorway (Wth 0.9m) in the S wall of the chancel, only the steps down to which survive, may be contemporary with the chancel though it appears to be a later addition, perhaps to access the chancel in the 18th-century when the nave had fallen into ruin. Manning (ibid., 28), however, suggests that access to the chancel in the later period was via the chancel-arch opening which had been narrowed (Wth 2m), presumably to form a doorway.

The next phase of rebuilding probably dates from the 15th century, when the walls of the nave were surmounted by a parapet with wall-walk. The base of the wall-walk was floored with thin slabs, sloping outward towards drain-holes in the parapet. These slabs are supported internally by an off-set. Further alterations included the insertion of later windows into the two easternmost round-headed embrasures in the nave. Though these may date from the 15th century, they could also date to the early 17th century when remodelling was carried out in 1616. Inserted into the N embrasure is a round-headed single-light window (H 0.81m; Wth 0.16m) set into quite a squat embrasure. The flat lintel of this embrasure is a reused slab (L 1.4m; Wth 0.35m; T 0.18m) with incised decoration consisting of a circle (diam. 0.25m), half embedded in the wall at the E end and a single deeply incised line running down the centre of the slab from inside this circle. The other edge of this slab is chamfered and dressed with diagonal tooling. Inserted into the S embrasure is a tall flat-headed single-light (H 1.35m; Wth 0.145m) with transom, chamfered externally, within an inserted embrasure.

Extending the church westward would have accommodated a larger congregation and also provided space for access to the church by a doorway or opposing doorways in the side walls. No doorways survive in the nave but there is a large gap in the S wall (Wth 5.4m) in the W extension and a patched area of masonry (Wth 3.8m) in the N wall, roughly opposite, both of which could have accommodated a doorway. Two architectural fragments within the church appear to have come from the head of two different doorways, one has a chamfered edge and is relatively plain while the other is chamfered, dressed with punch-tooling and bears the date 1616 in false relief. The parapet, with wall-walk and off-set, is evident in the N wall and E end of the S wall of the nave, but is not present at the W end of the S wall, even though it survives to full height. The masonry style in this length of wall is markedly different from the E end and suggests that this portion of the wall was completely rebuilt, perhaps due to a collapse, and no effort was made to reconstruct the parapet. The W gable appears to be contemporary with the W end of the S wall. The W end of the nave is largely featureless, there is recess (H 0.75m; Wth 0.71m; D 0.48m) at the W end of the N wall which may have been for a wall monument.