Kilcliggin church of the skulls

Today, as our fifth excerpt from Carrigan’s, The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, v. 4 p. 95-98 (1906) we feature more of the ancient churches found in Glenmore or nearby including: Kilcolumb, Rochestown, Rathaglish (Slieverue) and Davidstown. More is known about Kilcolumb because it continued to be used as a church until about 1830. Kilcolumb was in ruins by the time Canon Carrigan visited it at the turn of the 20th century and the ruins and graveyard still remain today.

Kilcolumb        

“Part of the [civil] parish of Kilcolumb belongs to Slieverue, the remainder to Glenmore. In Irish, Kilcolumb is call Kill-Chullm, which means the church of St. Colum. As many saints bearing the name of Colum are commemorated in the Irish Martyrologies, it is impossible to determine which of them gave name to the Kilcolumb of which there is question here.”

“Some centuries ago, probably soon after the Norman Invasion, Kilcolumb church was withdrawn from the patronage of St. Columb and was dedicated, or rededicated, under the title of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. September 14^th, the feast day of the Exaltation of the Hoy Cross, is now the patron day of Kilcolumb parish.” See our post of 29 August 2022 for a link to the 1991 video of Danny Dowling (1927-2021) discussing Kilcolumb.

The Ruins in 1900

“The church of Kilcolumb is a rectangle, 51 feet long, internally. The north side wall and the east and west gables are badly built and are, certainly, no older than the 17^th century. The south side wall is very ancient. It is 3 feet 2 inches in thickness, at the ground, and batters, on the outside, to a height of 5 or 6 feet; it has a door and two windows, all modern, and evidently, of same date as the later portion of the church. Protestant service was held here down to about 1830, when the one solitary individual who formed the congregation having become Catholic, the church was closed for good.”

Kilcolumb Graveyard

“In the graveyard [that surround the ruins] is a headstone inscribed:

‘Erected by Eleanor Archdecan alias  Greace, in memory of her uncle-in-law,
the Revd. Father Richd. Archdecan, who depd. this life, Octbr. ye 26th, 1775
aged 76 yrs.; also his father, mother, and sisters.  Requiescant in Pace. Amen.'

The Shees or O’Sheas, of Nicholastown [Slieverue], a respectableold family, have their tomb here at the eat end of the church.

The Headache Stone and Well

“Fifty yards north of the churchyard is a rude rock, 4 feet long, 2 feet wide and the same in thickness, and know as Cluch-Chullm, or St. Colum’s Stone. On its smooth upper surface there are, in a line, one after the other, three bowl shaped artificial hollows, of which that to the north 1 foot in diameter and 6 inches deep, and has a small aperture in the bottom communicating with the outer surface of the stone; the middle cavity is 1 foot in diameter and 7 inches deep; the third is 1 foot in diameter and 5 inches deep.”

“The stone is held in great veneration by the people, who come here to pray when affected with headache, and expect relief through St. Colum’s intercession. Kilcolumb holy well is about 100 yards east of the church. It is called Thubber na gcullm, which the people say means well of the pigeons or doves.”

“In pre-Reformation times, the church of Kilcolumb, like that of Kilbride, belonged to the Augustinian Canons of the Congregation of St. Victor, St. Catherine’s Priory, Waterford.”

Editor’s note

Saint Columbcill’s stone is in the field west of the Kilcolumb church ruins in the townland of Rathinure. The stone has three large hallowed out bowls and originally had two small holes in one side of the stone. It is believed that this stone was the holy water font of the church and it was removed from the church during penal times and dumped in the field where it has remained.

Local lore has it that any person who can place his head in the centre “bowl” at the same time placing one knee in each of the other two  “bowls” will never suffer from headaches. This was a common cure for headaches in the old days. Tom Walsh (1908-1992) related that one of the small “holes” where a thumb was able to fit in, by persons desiring to rid themselves of headaches, was knocked off by the swing of the plough striking against it. It appears that the man was ploughing the field and kept so near the stone that the damage was caused. He was dead before the next morning.

Kilcolumb Church ruins are located in the townland of Rathinure, Glenmore. For more information on Rathinure see our post of 29 October 2023.

Rochestown Church

“Rochestown, in Irish Bollanróshtla, is divided into Rochestown West or Bollialogue, and Rochestown East or Bollianakilla. The cill or church, from which Bollianakilla has its name, stood at the Gorry-vceldhuv, in the field opposite the entrance gate of Mount Ida House. Not the slightest trace of it remains, but a standing stone, lately set up, marks the exact spot on which it stood. Tradition states that the timber of the roof of this church was taken down and afterwards made use of at Kilcolumb, when the later church was being rebuilt for Protestant service.”

“According to O’Donovan, the name of Rochestown church was Thompel Feenan, or the church of St. Finian (of Clonard); the name, as given on the spot, to the present writer [Carrigan] was Thomple na groo-in-eeny.” See our post of 3 December 2023 for more information on Rochestown, Glenmore.

Rathaglish [Slieverue] Church

“In Irish the townland of Rathaglish is called Rahglish, the Rath of the Church (Ecclesia). Evidently an ancient church stood within or beside the rath from which the townland is named.”

Davidstown Church

[Another ancient church that has been obliterated from the landscape was “Kilcliggin, the Church of the Skulls, which stood near the village of Davidstown” [Glenmore]. “An old laneway that formerly led to it is still called Bosheen a thomple, the Church Bosheen” [church lane]. See our post of 28 December 2022 for more information on the townland of Davidstown.

The Cunnia-vwee

“The small field called ‘the Cunnia-vwee’ is situated on Davidstown hill, on the bounds of the townland of Attateemore [Slieverue]. There is nothing remarkable in it, at present, but two small cairns, or heaps of stones, one about the centre of the field, the other close to the fence, at the north side.”

“The former merely consists of loose stones thrown carelessly together. The later is of the same description, and measures 6 or 8 feet across; in its upper surface are embedded two large, rough blocks of stone, one having an artificial bowl 1 foot in diameter and 1 foot deep; the other having a similar bowl 1 foot in diameter and 4 or 5 inches deep. The deeper bowl always contains some water and is known as Thubber Phaudhring, or St. Patrick’s Well.”

The curious legend connected with this place is known over the whole Barony of Ida. In our next instalment of Carrigan we shall explore Canon Carrigan’s treatment of O’Donovan’s earlier work and the curious legend.

Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh