Kilree is a former Christian

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 ...

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 Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

, Ireland.

Location

Kilree is located 2.4 km (1 mile) south of

Kells, County Kilkenny Kells () is a village in County Kilkenny in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is about 15 km south of Kilkenny. It is situated on high ground to the south of the Kings River (Ireland), Kings River. The village is in a townland and Civil pari ...

History

The monastery at Kilree was supposedly founded in the 6th century by Saint Rhuidche, from which the name ''Cell-righ'' derives.

Niall Caille Niall mac Áeda (died 846), called Niall Caille (Niall of the Callan) to distinguish him from his grandson Niall mac Áeda (died 917), was High King of Ireland. Background Niall belonged to Cenél nEógain, a northern branch of the Uí Néill, ...

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

, is locally believed to have drowned in the Kings River at

Callan Callan is a given name and surname of Irish and Scottish origin. It can derive from Ó Cathaláin, meaning ''descendant of Cathalán''. Callan can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Allin or Mac Callin. Notable people with the name includ ...

in AD 846 and his body washed up near

. However the Annals of the Four Masters and Annals of Inishfallen are clear the king drowned in the river Callan near Armagh. Some local histories claim he was buried under the

high cross A high cross or standing cross (, , ) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. Th ...

at Kilree, others that he was buried outside the church grounds there because he was a pagan. The Annals however record he was heavily involved in a power struggle between two dominant monastic traditions - that of Patrick versus Brigit, with Niall favouring the latter, so the tale of his

paganism Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

is not credible. He was primarily the king of Ailech, which was in western

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

, again making it unlikely he is connected with Kilree. The site came into the possession of

Kells Priory Kells Priory () is one of the largest medieval monuments in Ireland. The Augustine priory is situated alongside King's River beside the village of Kells, County Kilkenny, Kells in the townland of Rathduff (Madden), about 15 km south of th ...

by 1340. It was surrendered to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

in 1539, and he granted the abbot a life pension.

Buildings

Church

This is an early church with pronounced

antae The Antes or Antae () were an early Slavic tribal polity of the 6th century CE. They lived on the lower Danube River, in the northwestern Black Sea region (present-day Moldova and central Ukraine), and in the regions around the Don River (in ...

, indicating that it is pre- Romanesque in date. It still retains its oval enclosure.

Round tower

The

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 ...

is about tall, depending on which ground level it is measured from. The arched

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

doorway is above ground level and is framed by moulding. The bell-storey has four

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

led windows facing the

cardinal directions The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main compass directions: north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W). The corresponding azimuths ( clockwise horizontal angle from north) are 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. The four ...

. The cap is gone but

battlements A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

remain. The tower stands on a rectangular stone pad-foundation, only found here and at

Aghaviller Aghaviller () is the site of a church (building), church and Irish round tower, round tower in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a protected National monument (Ireland), national monument. Aghaviller gives its name to the wi ...

High cross

Kilree High Cross was erected in the 8th/9th Century. It is tall and covered with bosses and geometric designs. The east face has a hunting scene. The west face has a central boss with four outer bosses surrounding it. The west face depicts the

Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings or Visitation of the Wise Men is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having fo ...

and

Daniel in the Lions' Den Daniel in the lions' den (chapter 6 of the Book of Daniel) tells of how the biblical Daniel is saved from Asiatic lions by the God of Israel "because I was found blameless before him" (Daniel 6:22). It parallels and complements chapter 3, the ...

References

{{Reflist Christian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Kilkenny Archaeological sites in County Kilkenny National monuments in County Kilkenny