2024:467 - St Brendan's, William Street/Church Lane, Townparks, Birr, Offaly

On behalf of Birr 20|20 Vision and Offaly County Council (OCC) archaeological monitoring was undertaken of conservation works at the site of St Brendan’s Church, Birr, Co. Offaly. Monitoring was undertaken intermittently over a period of three weeks, commencing in late October. The project was undertaken with funding from the Heritage Council, after the award of a Community Heritage Grant to Birr 20|20 Vision.

The ecclesiastical site of Birr developed over a long period, from a sixth century monastic foundation (OF035-012003-) by St Bréanainn (Brendan) that evolved in the twelfth or thirteenth century into the parochial church (OF035-012001-) of the newly established parish of Birr (in the diocese of Killaloe). The site was overlooked in the twelfth century by an Anglo-Norman earth and timber motte castle (OF035-012009-) and later an O'Carroll tower and the extant Birr Castle. St Brendan's remained a parish church, for the Protestant congregation, until the early nineteenth century when a new Church of Ireland church was built in 1815. ‘Old’ St Brendan’s was abandoned at this point, although the graveyard (OF035-012002-) continued in intermittent use as a burial ground. The bell-tower partially collapsed in 1999, after which point stabilisation works were completed.

The remains of St Brendan’s are in varied condition, with the mausoleum roof, prior to these works, in noticeably poor condition. As a result of water ingress, under its thick Blue Bangor mausoleum roof flags, vegetation has obtained a strong hold within the mortar bed zone causing massive displacement of the roof flags and making the area surrounding the mausoleum unsafe. Conservation works to address this issue included removal of vegetation, lifting and re-bedding flag stones and repointing of masonry as required.

These works were undertaken to secure the surviving historic masonry of the mausoleum for the long-term. Archaeological monitoring of all these works, including inspection of raked-out mortars, was undertaken in accordance with the submitted archaeological Method Statement. No new features or artefacts were uncovered but the roof was clarified as likely dating from the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries and has obviously also been subject to some more modern interventions.