Situated in

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh (), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of alleged Laigin or ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, Carrick Church (''Teampall Carraig'') is approximately one mile to the north-west of the village of

Derrygonnelly Derrygonnelly () is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Near Lower Lough Erne, the village was home to 680 people at the 2011 census This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th ...

, on the shore of Carrick Lough. The Church is a late medieval structure built by the local

chieftain A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...

of the time, Gilbert O'Flanagan II, and his wife Margaret in 1483 in 'Honour of God and Mary'. The O'Flanagan sept, who supplied many of the clergy for both Devenish and Inishmacsaint, were the chieftains of ''Tuatha Rátha''. The territory of ''Tuatha Rátha'' covered approximately the area which is known today as the

Barony of Magheraboy Magheraboy () is a barony in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. To its east lies Lower Lough Erne, and it is bordered by three other baronies in Northern Ireland: Lurg to the north; Tirkennedy to the east; and Clanawley to the south It also bo ...

and their stronghold was situated at ''Baile Uí Fhlanagain'' in the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

Aghamore Aghamore () is a townland in County Leitrim, Ireland, located on the main N4 national primary road between Dublin and Sligo. See also *List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland This is a link page for cities, towns and villages i ...

on the shores of Carrick Lake.Bell, Robert; ''The Book of Ulster Surnames'', page 68. The Black Staff Press, 2003. Much trouble plagued the descendants of O'Flanagan and the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luin� ...

'' record that in 1528 Gilleece O'Flanagan and his son Turlough were both murdered in the chapel, on the same day, by Patrick O'Flanagan. Gilbert II may have built a church at Aghamore (the Great Field) as a private chapel but it raises the question; did he have a difference with his kinsman who was Prior on Inishmacsaint or did he build it for prestige? Gilbert II died in 1496 and when his wife Margaret, who was a daughter of the ruling house of the Maguires of Fermanagh, died, she was buried at the Abbey in Donegal. Carrick Church may have existed as a place of worship for the local people until penal times as there is no record of any other

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

place of worship in the area. Inishmacsaint church was taken over by the planters as Hume, the local landlord, did not build a church until 1688 at Drumenag. Despite the condition of the dangerous ruins the graveyard was utilized by the locals until around 1930. Many gravestones litter the grounds and some late 18th century inscriptions are still visible on the markers. Nearby to this ruin, there is a well by the name of Tobarnasuil, from the Irish ''Tobar na Súil'', meaning "''well of the eyes''". Its water is said to have healing powers to cure ailments of the eye. Carrick Church and graveyard, in Aghamore townland, grid ref: H0962 5388, are Scheduled Historic Monuments. In December 2012 work, overseen by the Ulster Archaeological Heritage Society, was completed to secure the deteriorated ruins and prevent further collapse.

References

{{Reflist Former churches in Northern Ireland Churches in County Fermanagh Archaeological sites in County Fermanagh