The ruins of this lovely church are located in the middle of a field, right behind a farm. The access we found was through a cattle gate on the road north of the building. This church has been described as one of the most wonderful examples of pre-Romanesque architecture in Ireland.
The history of this church is unclear, but it is mentioned in the life of St. Fintan, so it was probably built in the 7th century, and maybe was subordinated to the monastery of Clonenagh in county Laois. It was raided and destroyed by the Vikings in 866, but was later rebuilt.
What strikes the visitor is the absolutely uniformity of the masonry. All the stones used to build the walls are similar in size and shape and the lintels for the doorways and windows are finely squared.
Following reconstructions and extensions to the east didn't maintain this perfection and this is visible in the east section of the south wall of the building and on the east wall itself.
The church measures 13 metres by 6 metres, it has a fine window on the east wall, a smaller window on the south wall and a doorway on the west wall. The north wall is missing. No details or decorations are visible and the whole place is overgrown.
Six metres northwest from the church there's a holed stone lying in the grass, with nettles all around and through it.
A wonderful place indeed!
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