2024:891 - Isertkelly North, Galway

A second phase of conservation works was carried out at Isertkelly Church, Co. Galway, in September-October 2024. The works were funded under the Community Monuments Fund 2024 and follow on from a Conservation Management Plan prepared by Howley Hayes Cooney under funding from the Community Monuments Fund 2022, and the first phase of conservation works carried out under funding from the Community Monuments Fund 2023 (2023:901). The second phase of works was concerned with rebuilding the arch over the south door, which collapsed in the summer of 2023, and conserving the upstanding remains of the north wall, the north part of the west wall, and the east extent of the south wall.

Loose stone and rubble, a mix of collapse from both the church wall and the graveyard boundary wall, had to be removed from the area immediately outside the north wall. According to local information this section of the church wall collapsed in the late 20^th century. The collapse is evident from the large chunks of ex-situ masonry lying in the field just outside the graveyard boundary wall. The graveyard boundary wall here is poorly-constructed, presumably an ad-hoc rebuild following the church wall collapse. The rubble was only removed to the depth that was sufficient to allow for the conservation of the church wall. Conservation works at the east extent of the south wall were preceded by the removal of a tree root, sorting of rubble (most of which had been sorted during the course of the 2023 conservation works), and cleaning on top of the wall footing. Two additional architectural stones and a large slab were uncovered during the course of these works, bringing the total number of recorded stones to thirty-two.