Castletimon church dates from the 12th century. It was in ruinous conditions during the reformation and it was the place for secret catholic worship after this time. Today the building is totally overgrown and hidden by the thick vegetation. It's about 18 metres long and 8 metres wide, and it's aligned to the east (90°). The north wall is the only one still standing at its original height, the south wall is almost missing, the west gable is as tall as the north wall, the east gable is partly destroyed. It seems that this church wasn't associated to any saint, but there's a holy well dedicated to St. Kevin nearby, so this church could have had his name.
The surrounding graveyard contains many old burials, and some slabs are really interesting. The oldest one is from 1720. There are also several unmarked burials of approximately 50 residents who died in 1918 from the flu pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, who killed almost 100 million people across the world.
A good number of headstones in this graveyard are by Denis Cullen, a stone cutter from Monaseed in county Wexford whose work spans from 1750 to 1790. About 120 headstones by Cullen are known in Ireland, he was appreciated for his figurative representation of the crucifixion of Christ.
A nice place to visit while in the area.
|