Kilcoole Church

Kilcoole Church
Cill Chomhghaill
Kilcoole Church in 2017
Kilcoole Church
53°06′26″N6°03′46″W / 53.107089°N 6.062804°W / 53.107089; -6.062804
Location	Lott Lane, Kilcoole, County Wicklow
Country	Ireland
Denomination	Pre-Reformation Catholic
History
Founded	12th century
Dedication	Mary, mother of Jesus
Architecture
Style	Celtic Christianity
Years built	12th century
Specifications
Length	23 m (75 ft)
Width	6 m (20 ft)
Height	9 m (30 ft)
Number of floors	1
Floor area	140 m2 (1,500 sq ft)
Materials	stone
Administration
Diocese	Dublin
National monument of Ireland
Official name	Kilcoole
Reference no.	267 [1]

Kilcoole Church, also called Old Kilcoole Church, is a medieval church and National Monument in Kilcoole, County Wicklow, Ireland. ^[2]

Location

Kilcoole Church is located on Lott Lane in the centre of Kilcoole village, 1.5 km (0.93 mi) west of the seashore. At 6°03′46″W, it is the easternmost of the Republic of Ireland's National Monuments.

History

The church derives its name from a Saint Comgall (not the famous Comgall of Bangor). ^[3] The church was built in the 12th century and was dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus.

Thady Byrne of Ballygannon, a senior member of the O'Byrne family, was buried at Kilcoole Church in 1707. ^[4]

Church

The church is a nave and chancel structure. The chancel probably once had a step-pitched stone roof, with a small attic roof over the chancel. The nave has a square baptismal font, a cross slab and a small round-headed window in the south wall. ^[5]

The west part of the church was added later as a two-storey living quarters. ^[6]

A holy well is located 100 m (110 yd) to the northeast.

References

1. "National Monuments of County Wicklow in State Care" (PDF). heritageireland.ie. National Monument Service. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
2. "Ireland In Ruins: Old Kilcoole Church Co Wicklow". Ireland in Ruins. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2020– via blogspot.ie.
3. "Lonan - Manx Place-names, 1925".
4. Byrne-Rothwell, Daniel (1 January 2010). "The Byrnes and the O'Byrnes". House of Lochar – via Google Books.
5. "Patrick Comerford: Picking ripe blackberries in Kilcoole in the gap between summer and autumn".
6. "Kilcoole Church - Wicklow County Tourism".