Killeshin Church is a 12th-century Romanesque church and

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 ...

located in

County Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

, Ireland.

Location

Killeshin Church is located near

Killeshin Killeshin () is a village in County Laois, Ireland on the R430 regional road. Killeshin is a small rural community situated five kilometres west of Carlow town and overlooks the picturesque Barrow Valley. The church at the foot of Slievemargy ...

village, on the south bank of the Fushoge River (a tributary of the Barrow), about 5 km (3 mi) west of

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

town. A

ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...

, known as Killeshin moat, stands to the southeast.

History

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

was founded on the site c. AD 545 by Diarmait mac Siabairr, a member of the local

Uí Bairrche Uí Bairrche (, ) was an Irish kin-based group that originally held lands in the south of the ancient province of Leinster (or ''Cóiced Laigen'' "the Fifth of the Laigin"). Another south Leinster kin group associated with the Uí Bairrche were g ...

ruling family. The monastery was plundered by

Diarmait mac Máel na mBó Diarmait mac Máel na mBó (died 7 February 1072) was King of Leinster, as well as High King of Ireland (with opposition). He was one of the most important and significant kings in Ireland in the pre-Norman era.. Background Diarmait belonged ...

in 1041; the '' dairthech'' (oak prayer house) was demolished, a hundred people taken away as slaves and 700 cattle also seized. This attack was a retaliation against the burning of

Ferns The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

by Murchadh mac Dunlaing and the murder of Domnall Remar (Donal the Fat, Diarmait's brother). Killeshin was burned again in 1077, along with its

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus '' Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew ('' Taxus ...

trees. None of this original monastery survives; a

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls. Castle ...

once stood there but was torn down by the landowner in 1704.

The buildings

The church, built in the 12th century AD (probably in 1150–60), is built of rubble masonry with dressed

quoins Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...

and is particularly noted for its Romanesque archway,

zoomorphic The word ''zoomorphism'' derives from and . In the context of art, zoomorphism could describe art that imagines humans as non-human animals. It can also be defined as art that portrays one species of animal like another species of animal or art ...

carvings and Scandinavian-influenced

knotwork A knot is an intentional complication in cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including hitches, bends, loop knots, and splices: a ''hitch'' fastens a rope to another object; a ...

. There is also a

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

font. An inscription near the door reads ORAIT DO DIARMAIT RI LAGEN,

Middle Irish Middle Irish, also called Middle Gaelic (, , ), is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contemporary of Late Old English and Early Middle English. The modern Goideli ...

for "a prayer for Diarmait, king of Leinster", referring to

Diarmait Mac Murchada Diarmait Mac Murchada (Modern Irish: ''Diarmaid Mac Murchadha''; anglicised as Dermot MacMurrough or Dermot MacMurphy; – c. 1 May 1171), was King of Leinster in Ireland from 1127 to 1171. In 1167, he was deposed by the High King of Ireland ...

(r. 1126–71).

References

{{Reflist 1150s establishments in Ireland 12th-century churches in Ireland Christian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religious buildings and structures in County Laois Archaeological sites in County Laois National monuments in County Laois