County: Galway Site name: CREEVAGHBAUN CHURCH, Creevaghbaun
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Diarmuid Lavelle
Site type: Church
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 549261m, N 749423m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.492377, -8.764606
Creevaghbaun Church and graveyard are situated about 4 miles south-east of Tuam, in a field 200m from the Tuam/Dublin road. A well and sweat house, standing side by side, are situated in an adjoining field. The structure itself is in ruin. Three of its walls stand to almost their original height and the inside of the church contains three tombs, three crypts and a headstone.
A minor excavation took place here in the spring of 1989, in order to reveal the foundations of the north wall and to take down the present internal ground level in advance of conservation.The church ruin measures 16.5m x 7.8m. The gables stand to a height of 6.4m with the south wall measuring 16m x 0.8m x 2m high and having the blocked-up remains of a small single-light window in its east section. All of the cut stone had been removed from the various features, including the quoins from all four corners.
All that remains of the south doorway and the east window are large rough gaps in the walls. One stone at the base of the south window represents the angle of the embrasure.
Before excavation a shallow earthen mound represented the north wall. A cutting was made along its length to expose the remains of the foundation, which was in good condition and made of solid irregularly-coursed limestone, with a batter to the outside. Approximately 3m from the east gable the base of a doorway opening to the outside was uncovered in the base of the north wall. The sides of the doorway were constructed of finely pecked and chamfered masonry. Further excavation revealed the poor remains of a structure extending to the north, probably a sacristy. Unfortunately this area of the site was badly disturbed by burial and at least two gravestones with kerbing lay across its foundations.
The interior of the church measures 14.5m x 6.2m but some of its area is taken up by the tombs and crypts, which are built against the east gable and the south wall and date to the early 19th century. Stray finds include fragments of clay pipe, iron slag and quern stone.
Creevaghbaun Carmelite Friary was founded around the middle of the 14th century by the De Burgos.
47 Upper Newcastle, Galway
