Church, Kilmanoge, Co. Wicklow

Co. Wicklow |

Churches & Chapels

Church, Kilmanoge, Co. Wicklow

On a slope in County Wicklow, facing east-northeast towards a stream, there is no church.

That is, in a sense, the point. A site recorded as a church dedicated to St Winnoc has left nothing visible above ground; what survives instead is a triangular enclosure roughly 18.6 metres in diameter, a well tucked into its northeastern angle, and a fragment of a millstone or quern. The surrounding land is now under tillage. Where a medieval ecclesiastical site once stood, the field has quietly closed over it.

The Ordnance Survey Letters, compiled in the 1830s as part of a systematic effort to document placenames and antiquities across Ireland, recorded the enclosure's unusual triangular form, which sets it apart from the more typical circular or oval enclosures associated with early Irish church sites. A well within such an enclosure would not be surprising; holy wells frequently appear in association with early Christian foundations, often retaining local veneration long after any structures had disappeared. The fragment of millstone or quern hints at some degree of settled activity in the vicinity, though whether it belonged to the ecclesiastical site or predates it is impossible to say. The dedication to St Winnoc is noted by the scholar Liam Price, writing in 1967, but the saint's connection to this particular Wicklow hillside is otherwise poorly documented, and no physical evidence of the church itself remains.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Church, Kilmanoge, Co. Wicklow. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement