2023:507 - Killaghtee Old Church, Beaugreen Glebe, Donegal

Monitoring of conservation works took place at Killaghtee Old Church in Beaugreen townland, near Dunkineely in County Donegal, in September and October 2023. The works were funded by the National Monuments Service's Community Monuments Fund. The church (DG098-013001) is located in a graveyard (DG098-013004) which contains a cross-inscribed slab (DG098-013002) and is the site of a bullaun stone (DG098-013003).

What remains of the medieval church is an overgrown east gable, which stands to full height, and an attached section of the south wall. The east gable has a late Romanesque or Transitional window. Two window opes in the south wall are secondary insertions, replacing earlier windows. Collapsed wall fabric was visible in places at the base of the church walls and stored under a number of table tombs in the graveyard.

Prior to the works all gravemarkers, headstones, graveslabs and table tombs located in proximity to the church walls were covered, for their protection. Ivy was removed from the east gable and the top of the gable was subsequently consolidated. Re-pointing of the church walls was carried out where necessary. The east window and a small panel, located near the base of the internal face of the east gable, which had collapsed, were repaired. The western end of the south wall was consolidated where an original doorway, which had been later re-purposed as a window, was in danger of collapse. This work revealed a draw-bar hole on the east side of the feature. A cut and dressed window sill, three inscribed graveslab fragments and a possible carved stone fragment, which resembled a bishop's mitre, were found during the works. Rubble was also retrieved, some of which was used in the conservation works.

4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, County Mayo