churches historical ireland

This was the medival seat of the Bishops of Meath where an 18th century mansion designed by James Wyatt was erected by Church of Ireland Bishop Arthur Price. It was the site of a famous eary christian Monastery linked with St. Ultan after whom the holy well on the grounds of the church is named....

The earliest monastery was founded here by St. Declan who is alleged to have been a bishop in Munster when St. Patrick arrived, and who is one of the main supports for the belief in the existence of Christianity in the south of Ireland before St. Patrick. Ardmore was recognised as a Cathedral and had its bishop in 1170. In 1591 it was leased to Sir Walter Raleigh who only held it for 2 years. In 1642 the confederate army hiding in the Church and Round Tower were besieged by the English. When...

Templecorran Cemetery which sits on part of the site of the ecclesiastical settlement, has a historical trail around it outlining important graves which relate to general Ulster history. The most imposing memorial in the cemetery is the large monumeny to James Orr, the Bard of Ballycarry, who is the Ulster equivalent of Scotland's Robert Burns....

It boasts several interesting features. The fine interior is late georgian, while the front on the Main Street is of late 19th century Venetian Renaissance style. There are many monuments to those who worshipped there in former times.

The church is open to the public 6 days per week for tours. There is a guide available at all these times and tours are free of charge. A donation towards the restoration costs is optional....

A short distance to the south-west of kilmurvey village are an early cross pillar, Tobar Mac Duach (Holy Well) with a fragment of an enclosing cashel and a Transitional Period church. Both Church and well are dedicated to Sain Collman Mac Duach....

Trim is a town which was founded by the Normans on the banks of the Boyne and few towns in Ireland contain more medieval buildings than it. These buildings are as follows:

Castle:
The first fortification on the site was a motte with a timber tower, erected by Hugh de Lacy in 1172 as a first step towards the conquest of Meath. He left Hugh Tyrell in charge of it. But Roderick O'Connor, King of Connacht, thought himself threatened by its existence, and he marched agains...

The insignificant remains of the aisle of a medieval church as well as a few 15th or 16th century architectural fragments. The main interest of the place is a slab mounted beside these remains with a representation of the Crucifixion on it. On Christ's right is a man holding a spear, and on his left a man offers him vinegar in a chalice on the end of a pole. It probably formed the lintel over the doorway of a church which has since disappeared. The lintel is probably 12th century in date....

St Joseph's Church in Carrickmacross has stained glass windows by Harry Clarke, one of the Irelands foremost stained glass artists in the early 1900's....

SORD COLUMBCILLE is the ancient name of this town, meaning the well of pure water of the dove of the Church. The "Dove" means St. Columba, (from "Colombe" a dove). His sanctity caused him to be called the "Dove of the Church" (from the Latin "Cella"). The well is the one which the Saint caused to be made, which can still be found, near this place, a well of pure water, used to this day.

St. Columba founded the town about 560 A.D. He left Ireland in 563 A.D. to go to Iona, so the t...

The church is named after St Fursa whose statue one sees in the nearby graveyard. He was reported to have had mysterious visions. He had links with the town of Perrone east of Paris where there is a statue of him in the local church.

The ruined church of Killursa has some gothic features which indicate that it was built after the Norman invasion. A wall was built across the church at a later stage....