Church, Donard, Co. Wicklow

Co. Wicklow |

Churches & Chapels

Church, Donard, Co. Wicklow

One of the more quietly telling details at this ruined parish church in Donard is not the building itself but what lies inside it: a late medieval graveslab, nearly 1.8 metres long, resting flat on the floor at the western end.

Its upper face carries the outline of a cross at either end, joined by a shaft, the edges bevelled with some care. A second graveslab, more roughly worked but decorated in much the same fashion, stands upright against the outer face of the eastern wall. A third slab, an inscribed granite example noted by a researcher named Walshe in 1931, has since disappeared entirely, leaving only the reference behind.

The church itself dates to the fifteenth or sixteenth century and takes the standard nave-and-chancel form common to late medieval Irish parish churches. It is modest in scale, around 12 metres by 6.5 metres externally, built of uncoursed masonry with punch-dressed quoins, a term for the dressed corner-stones that give a wall its structural definition even when the rest of the stonework is rough. The western wall retains a bellcote and a central doorway, with what appears to be a later porch added in front of it. The eastern window still shows the holes where glazing bars were once fixed, though the internal tracery has been removed at some point. The church sits toward the northern side of a rectangular graveyard enclosed by a modern stone wall, the whole plot measuring roughly 45 metres by 40 metres. Seventy-five metres to the southwest, a motte rises from the ground, a raised earthen mound of the kind thrown up by Norman settlers as a foundation for a timber fortification, a reminder that this quiet corner of County Wicklow was once a site of considerable strategic interest.

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, Donard, 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