County: Mayo Site name: BALLYOVEY CHURCH, Kilkeeran
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 99:25 Licence number: 95E0190
Author: Leo Morahan
Site type: Church and Graveyard
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 516326m, N 773029m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.700258, -9.267163
Reports of illegal excavations here necessitated an archaeological presence. Because of time constraints a full excavation was not carried out. Much of the west end of the church interior and along the walls internally and externally were excavated. Excavation of part of the south wall foundations near the centre revealed a c. 16th- to 17th-century doorway just above an earlier Romanesque example set in a splayed embrasure. The spud stone of this doorway survives on the west side. Sections of a Romanesque window survive in the south wall, but at a much higher level. Cornerstones of an earlier structure were located on the north-west and south-west sides, and these were much larger than any others in the construction. The west doorway was blocked up to a height of 0.8m; all these were built on the original threshold. This doorway is set in a fine arched embrasure, and stones on the top and sides of this display both Romanesque and 16th- to 17th-century dressing.
The following phases of building were found.
1. The Early Christian church, aligned east-west.
2. An extension of 1.2m to the west end of this which contained a splayed doorway with Romanesque and 16th- to 17th-century dressing. The lower parts of the east window also bear Romanesque dressing, while there are remains of a door and window of a similar period on the east wall. A 15th- to 16th-century tracery window was added to the east gable end, but much of this is now scattered about the graveyard.
3. Remains of a late 16th/early 17th-century doorway survive over the Romanesque doorway in the south wall; the blocking-up of the west doorway possibly dates from this time.
The church lies near the centre of a cashel-type monastic enclosure. One cutting in the south showed a limestone wall 0.85m thick, very low internally and up to only 0.3–0.4m high externally. There is a drop of 1m from the top of the cashel wall to the outer ground level here, however.
Much of this church was subsequently restored.
Editor’s note: Although this excavation was carried out during 1995, it has only recently been submitted for inclusion in the bulletin.
James’ Street, Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo
