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St Brecan, Doora, Clare

Location
(52°50′25″N, 8°57′55″W)
Doora
R 35 77
pre-1974 traditional (Republic of Ireland) Clare
now Clare
medieval Killaloe
now Killaloe
  • Tessa Garton

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Feature Sets
Description

A small church of irregular oblong plan, 17.8m x 7.26m at the E end narrowing to 6.55m at the W (Westropp 1900a, 443), with a plain lintelled doorway in the N wall. The W gable has fallen. The E gable is ivy covered, and has a round-headed two-light window with roll mouldings on the exterior. There are two windows in the S wall, the E one covered in ivy, the W one (with the archstone now fallen and lying on the ground) round-headed with a wide interior splay and a chamfer and roll moulding on the exterior. There are two carved corbels in the S wall, but their condition is too eroded to enable their date to be established.

History

Possibly founded by St Brecan, c.500. Mentioned in 1189 (Westropp 1900b, 147).

Features

Exterior Features

Exterior Decoration

Corbel tables, corbels
Comments/Opinions

There is little evidence of change since Westropp's description, except that the arch stone of the W window of the S wall is now lying on the ground to the S of the church. The sculpture is impossible to date due to its worn condition, but the window mouldings appear to be 12thc. The S door has been repaired with a concrete gable. When visited in 2003, the W window of the S wall and the corbel above were obscured by ivy. There are also some projecting stones around the N trabeate door but these appear to be rough uncarved blocks.

Bibliography
P. Dwyer, The History of the Diocese of Killaloe from the Reformation to the Eighteenth Century. Dublin 1878, 648.
M. Keane, The Towers and Temples of Ancient Ireland. Dublin 1867, 361.
T.J. Westropp, 'The Antiquities of the Northern Portion of the County of Clare' JRSAI 30 (1900a), 443-5.
T.J. Westropp, 'The Churches of County Clare and the Origin of the Ecclesiastical Divisions in that County', PRIA, 22 (1900b), 147.