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Church Hill, Achonry

Location
(54°4′25″N, 8°36′42″W)
Achonry
G 60 14
pre-1974 traditional (Republic of Ireland) Sligo
now Sligo
medieval unknown
now Church Hill
  • Hazel Gardiner

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Feature Sets
Description

Only the W end of the church and a short section of the adjacent N and S walls still stand. A rectangular splayed window, probably late medieval, survives in the S wall and this incorporates a 12thc. voussoir. The ruin is on a small hill and stands a few metres NE of a souterrain.

History

Gwynn and Hadcock record that there was an early Irish monastery at Achonry, founded in the 7thc. by St Finian of Clonard. However, this does not refer to Church Hill, but to another site in Achonry which is now dominated by a modern cathedral. A loose stone carved with a 12thc. beast head was discovered there in 2003.

Features

Interior Features

Interior Decoration

Miscellaneous
Comments/Opinions

The fragment may have been from an earlier structure on the site. No other 12thc. material is visible. The site is very overgrown and the surrounding field was used for cattle and horses a the time of visiting.

Bibliography

A. Gwynn and R.N. Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses in Ireland. London 1970, 28, 58, 60. (no reference to Church Hill)