churches historical ireland

A roughly square enclosure surrounded by a 6 ft high wall having, at two opposing corners, rounded bastions with arrow-slits. Remains of the gateway to the enclosure are preserved.
The wall resembles castle bawns, but inside, instead of a tower, there are just the remains of one central rectangular house and a number of subsidiary rectangular buildings.

Nothing is known about the history of the place, but it was possibly built by a retainer of the de Burgs as a fortified homestead...

Teampall Beanan (Temple Benan) near Arkin Castle and higher up, prominently silhouetted on the skyline, is the small church of Saint Benan dating from early Christian times....

The historic church enjoys the reputation of being one of the most interesting and ecclesiastically important churches in Ulster. St Nicholas' Church dates from the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ulster by John De Courcy, when he established the Norman stronghold of Carrickfergus circa 1180 A.D.

The Church lies at the centre of the town and its long history reflects the triumphs and deprivation suffered by the town population for over 800 years. It is dedicated to St. Nicholas, Bishop of...

St. Flannan's Oratory in the cathedral grounds is a well-preserved stone-roofed Romanesque church which dates from the 12th century....

A small but broad early church with antae and flat-headed doorway (partly reconstructed) on a site said to have been founded by St. Mel in the 5th century. During the course of excavations in 1967, traces of a timber church, possibly of 8th century date, were found beneath it....

The cathedral was founded about 1185 by Donal More O'Brien on the site of an earlier Romanesque church, the doorway of which is preserved in the south-west corner of the Cathedral. The Cathedral is in the form of a cross, and has three narrow lancet windows in the east gable. Beside the Romanesque door near the main entrance is one of the few stones in the country with a Viking runic inscription; it is unique in that it also has the same inscription in Ogham asking for a prayer for Thorgrim wh...

Youghal has been a flourishing town since the 13th century, if not before. It was sacked by the Rebel Earl of Desmond in 1579. In 1588-9 its mayor was Walter Raleigh, who, though he spent little time in it, is alleged by tradition to have planted the first Irish potato there. Owned by Richard Boyle (afterwards Earl of Cork) in the early 17th century, it was blockaded by Lord Castlehaven in 1645. Cromwell, to whom the town gave allegiance, used it as the base for his Irish expedition, and sa...

Labbamolaga is derived form the irish Leaba Molaga, meaning "bed or resting place "of St. Molaga.This is represented by a large slab that is located in the small church. It is said that if someone with rehumatism sleeps under this slap they will be cured.
 
On the site of a monastery founded by St. Molaga who lived in the 7th century, there is a small primitive-looking church with antae and a flat-headed doorway made of 3 stones. near the south wall of the...

Dates back to the 14th Century and is where the name 'Kilkeel' originates, translated as 'Church of the Narrows'. The Church, dedicated to St.Colman, was once the principal Church for the area. The ruined Church and Cemetery both stand in a Rath in the centre of Kilkeel town....