churches historical ireland

In the 17th and 18th centuries Kinsale was an important English naval base. This is reflected in the architecture of the town which, with its 18th century flavour and a whiff of the distant southern shores reached by its mariners, makes Kinsale into the town with what, in my opinion, is the most individual character in the country. In the town and its surroundings are some interesting monuments. St. Multose Church: The present Church of Ireland Parish church, founded probably by de Cogan...

A Church and some relatively recent buildings (1950) to your left, constitute the Franciscan Friary. Visitors are welcome to walk in the beautifully laid out grounds, reflect in the delightful garden or relax with a cup ot tea in the tearoom. A viewpoint at the western end of the grounds overlooks the broad expanse of Rossnowlagh beach.

The Donegal Historical Society's Museum is housed here and is open to the public all year....

A number of wells rise up at this eerie spot where one could imagine that people in times past could have wondered at the primeval power of nature. St. Patrick is said to have visited the place, and the water is said to cure 'sore lips, sore eyes, the scrofula and several other chronic diseases'.

In the middle of a pond is an early cross, and beside it is a church which was built on the site of a 12th century edifice, but which in its present mutilated form dates probably from the 16...

St. Mary's Church was founded probably by William, Earl Marshall, and his wife Isabella between 1207 and 1220, and is possibly the largest medieval parish church in Ireland. It had a nave, chancel, and two transepts, but a 19th century church now occupies the site of the nave and the crossing. The south transept may have been built later than the other parts of the church.

There are three graceful lancet windows in the east gable, and a number of other lancet windows still survive in...

There is a somewhat doubtful report that the monastery was following the Benedictine rule in the 8th century. The Vikings burned the monastery in 836 and again in 922. Brian Boru is said to have built one of the churches on the island, while his brother, who died in 1009, was Abbot. Around 1043 a monk at Inishcaltra named Anmchad was ordered to leave the monastery because, as Guest-master, he had offered wine to the monastery's guests without the Abbot's permission. He left for Fulda in Germ...

This church, a preserved ruin, is on the site of an old monastery founded by St. Comghan towards the end of the 5th century. The present church was built in the 12th century and has one of the finest Romanesque doorways in Ireland....

This collegiate church, was built in the late 13th century on the site of an earlier monastery. It was served by a college - clerics who lived in a community but who did not submit to the rule of a monastery. They lived in a house, now destroyed, beside the church. The church was a large and elaborate structure, with an aisled nave (the main part of the the church where the congregation sat) and a long chancel (the section of church where the altar was placed) and has high quality architectural...

St. Alban founded the first monastery here around 650, but the site is named after his successor, St. Beccan. A 12th century Romanesque church has a flat-headed doorway, and two unusual decorated windows.

A number of crosses and Early Christian cross-slabs are either standing free around the church or have been built into its interior or exterior walls....

Beside the medieval church is a pile of stones on which are mounted a number of Early Christian cross-slabs; one of these has a cross in relief with interlacing motifs and another has an inscribed human figure.

In the graveyard is buried Godfrey O'Donnell who, though dying, ordered himself to be borne in his coffin into battle against Brian O'Neill in order not to disappoint his soldiers and died immediately after he had won the battle....

Preserved ruin of church dating back to 1262....