churches historical tipperary

Fethard is a small town which retains a remarkable number of medieval remnants. The exterior of Holy Trinity Church off the main street incorporates parts of a 15th century church, including windows, the west tower and part of a transept. In the wall of the churchyard are some tower houses (15th century?); in all about 4 tower-houses (none really accessible) are preserved in the town.

In the fire-depot beside the entrance to the church, remnants of a 16thg century house can be seen,...

The modern road cuts through a monastery founded by St Cronan who died between 600 and 620....

It was probably founded by St. Cainneach of Aghaboe, Co. Laois (q.v.) in the 6th century, though it is also associated with St. Cronan of Roscrea . the deaths of abbots are recorded for the years 807, 1120, 1138 and 1143, and the monastery seems to have experienced a revival in the 12th century.

Giraldus Cambrensis, the historian of the Norman invasion, describes the place as an island where no woman or animal of the female sex could enter without dying immediately. the monastery be...

In 1147 the Cistercian order founded an abbey, having been granted about 8,500 acres by the then King of Munster, Donal Mor O Brien. The Abbey was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1540 and its lands confiscated and leased to the Cahir branch of the Butler family.

The present Church was built on the old abbey site in 1818/1819 by local builder Thomas Tinsley, whose work can be seen in many churches and houses in South Tipperary. An old doorway of Romanesque style is the only remnant of the...

The 19th century church stands on the site of the Cistercian Abbey of Inishlounaght which was founded by Donal Mor O'Brien, King of Limerick, in 1187 and whither a fresh colony of Cistercians were brought from Furness in Lancashire in 1238. some interesting fragments of the older church are preserved in the modern church.

Particularly noteworthy is the transitional doorway of about 1200 which is now high up in the west wall of the church and which was probably the processional doorway...

Castle:
The Castle was allegedly built by King John in 1213, but was probably not erected until the middle of the 13th century. An enclosure, reached from the street through a 19th century gateway, was surrounded by a strong wall with one rectangular and two D-shaped towers in it. At one corner is a tall rectangular tower with a fine vault and a fireplace on the second floor. The upper floors have an unusual selection of passages and stairs leading to various defensive positions...

Donough Cairbreach O'Brien, King of Thomond, founded a friary for the Franciscans here early in the 13th century, but the present church was probably not begun until 1471, only to be burned the following year. After the Suppression in 1541, it was sold to John of Desmond. Sir Humphrey Gilbert's horsemen burned the church once more in 1569, and the friars who had stayed on were massacred in 1570. It suffered little damage when police tried to blow it up in 1921. The church is a simple nave-a...

Ballyporeen in whose cruciform church (1828) a Michael Reagan, great-grandfather of USA President Ronald Reagan , was baptised on 3 September 1829. a handsome parish publication traces roots.

A pub flourishes the President's name - beside the owner's name in gold lettering over a Victorian corner door. Templetenny Cemetery, burial place of the Reagans , is worth a visit....

The exact date of the building of the parish church is uncertain. Some experts suggest that it was built in 1204 by William de Burgh. Other experts put the day later, however, the church was in use before 1228.

It is the town's most significant ancient building and incorporates several features of architectural interest - stained glass windows, one of which commemorates the family of William Tinsley, Clonmel's Victorian Architect.

Its most significant visual impact comes from...

A ringfort with three concentric banks which may have been a meeting place and the site of an ancient fair. Two massive stones which once formed the gates of entry to the fort are lying in a field outside the north-eastern part of the fort.

In the interior of the fort is a simple 15th century church, choked in undergrowth, and possibly built by the O'Kennedys....