2012:441 - Kilkinure Church, Oxford, Kiltimagh, Mayo

There was a continuation of the conservation work which had commenced here in 2011. During 2012 Dr. Jim Higgins, Heritage Officer with Galway City Council, was invited to the site for advice on the interpretation of the building and he duly obliged. As stated in Excavations 2011 (No. 451) the major area of excavation was a large pile of rubble over much of the east wall lower courses. There was no indication of any feature on this wall while it is felt that the surviving remains were too low to contain any window opening remnants. The original internal stonework on the east wall was poorly held together and difficult to describe while externally it contained generally small undressed roughly coursed stones cemented with light gravelly mortar. This east wall was simply conserved to an average height of 0.3m internally and 0.5m externally, pointed and capped by small stones set in the specified mortar cover.
With the west half of the south wall missing its other half, it was conserved roughly in line with existing dimensions as of 2011. The exterior and some of the interior of this wall had been dangerously defaced but was made safe, together with pointing and capping. Some grave slabs overlie the line of part of the south wall in the western half.
Inside the west wall, a band of black almost fine peaty clay 0.25m thick at most was excavated. Sometimes within this context but more usually at its base were numerous loose small, medium or large stones though none had been dressed or worked. Large numbers of clay pipe fragments and modern bottles and glasses turned up here. At c. 1.3m above ground level there are five irregular beam slots on the west wall inner face. These would have facilitated roof beams of a small post-medieval priest’s house and they average 0.38m deep and 0.32m high each. This roof is long since decayed while above it on the west gable a collection of clay and stone rubble was found to disguise part of a splayed window embrasure 1.01m wide at the mouth. Both sides of the splay survive to a maximum length of 0.54m along the splay and reaching 0.4m high at most. No clear dressing could be made out on any part of the window embrasure. The west wall was 1.08m thick at the window and the current western end of the splay, which may have continued, measures 0.52m wide. There is no vestige of the original window opening externally nor of any trace of the western parts of the window embrasure. Just below the window embrasure there is a narrow ledge 0.25m wide on average with a corresponding similar one on the surviving tall section of the east wall (at its northern end).
On the exterior of the west wall in one small tested cut there was a double stone foundation plinth 0.1m wide and 0.2m high on average and located close to the southern end. This was not explored any further though it is indicative of a possible earlier building at this part of the site.
There is no trace of the original east wall of the priest’s house to be seen though its remains may have been totally removed by later burials.
The west wall has been conserved, pointed and capped similar to the other walls.
A poorly preserved wall of undressed stone and mortar adjacent to the south wall exterior was of uncertain function. It appears likely to be a grave surround but may have been some form of side chapel, though its access is not connected to the main body of the church. This wall averaged 0.4m high and was also conserved and capped.
The above work used up all the funding of the local committee and work has ceased. However if further funding becomes available it is hoped to remove all the remaining loose stones from the site, to be gathered in one regular cairn against the inner graveyard wall. It is also hoped to clean up many of the grave slabs currently exposed or partly exposed.
In summary, the remains appear to consist of a late medieval or post-medieval church within an ecclesiastical enclosure, probably the last in a series of churches here. A fire at the church seems likely to have caused its final demise as attested by the severe heat damage to all the stonework both in situ from the building or from collapsed masonry. The priests’ quarters at the west end are signposted by the beam slots and the splayed window high on this gable wall.
Many thanks to Fintan Carroll the stonemason who carried out the conservation work throughout, and to Gerry McManus Conservation Architect for her practical advice, help and input at all stages.

Kilkinure Church, Oxford, Kiltimagh: site pre-works from east.

Kilkinure Church, Oxford, Kiltimagh: view of church from south-west pre-works.

Kilkinure Church, Oxford, Kiltimagh: overall view of site from east during conservation work.

Kilkinure Church, Oxford, Kiltimagh: eastern half of church from west.

Roscrea, Moyard, Co. Galway