Killaliathan Church, also called Killagholehane Church, is a medieval

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

and a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

Location

The church is located south of

Broadford, County Limerick Broadford ( - "the mouth of the ford") is a village in the west of County Limerick in Ireland. It is part of the Roman Catholic parish of Dromcollogher-Broadford. In the 2016 census, the resident population of Broadford village was 276, and th ...

History

The site was the location of an earlier Christian church, established c. 1200 after a summer

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

fall that covered the entire area, except for the field, so the church was dedicated to

Our Lady of the Snows Saint Mary of the Snows, also Our Lady of the Snows, may refer to: Dedication * Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major, a liturgical feast day previously known in Latin as ''Dedicatio Sanctæ Mariæ ad Nives'', translating as "''Dedication ...

. The land was donated by the local rulers, the

Uí Liatháin The Uí Liatháin () were an early kingdom of Munster in southern Ireland. They belonged the same kindred as the Uí Fidgenti, and the two are considered together in the earliest sources, for example '' The Expulsion of the Déisi'' (incidental ...

, and so it was named ''Cill Achadh Uí Liatháin'', "church of Uí Liatháin's field," or Killaliathan. The original church was destroyed in war in 1302, and a new church erected in its place. This was called Killagholehane (''Cill Deochain Liatháin'', "

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

Liathán's church"). Killaliathan Church was replaced by a new

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

church in the village of Broadford in 1812. The graveyard is still in use.

Church

The division of the east window into three

lights Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision. Light or Lights may also refer to: Illumination * Lighting * Light bulb * Traffic light Arts and entertainment Music * Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian s ...

is unusual. The

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

, a 15th-century tomb, and part of the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

still remain. A gallery once stood above the doorway. The tomb may belong to the famous

Ó Dálaigh The Ó Dálaigh () were a learned Irish Bardic poetry, bardic family who first came to prominence early in the 12th century, when Cú Connacht Ó Dálaigh was described as "The first ''Ollamh'' of poetry in all Ireland" (''ollamh'' is the title g ...

bardic family.

References

Archaeological sites in County Limerick National monuments in County Limerick Former churches in County Limerick {{Ireland-church-stub