churches historical ireland

Croagh Patrick is located about 8km from Westport on the Louisburgh Road. Croagh Patrick is a sacred and beautiful hill. From most points of view, it rises from the sea on the southern shore of Clew Bay as a perfect cone to the height of 764 metres (2,510 feet). There are larger and loftier masses of mountain in Ireland, but none so striking from its isolation....

Spiddal Church; The Roman Catholic church in this village is renowned for its architectural excellence. Designed by William Scott and completed in 1904, it is Celtic Romenesque in style, an attempted revival of one of the great periods of Irish Architecture....

The oldest building on the site is a round Tower with round-headed door way and windows.
On the north face, about six feet above the ground, are much weathered carvings of birds (cock and hen?). Beside the tower stands a medieval church, possibly late 13th century in date, though much altered in the 15th century.

The west doorway preserves some fine stonework. Unusual features are the heads (probably 15th century) of bishops or abbots, a king and others on the outer side of the doo...

The first bleach green in Ulster was established before 1626 at Lambeg a mile downstream, a hamlet with a pretty suspension bridge and church. The hamlet have its name to the big drums which came to Ireland from Holland with the army of William the 3rd. 'Lambegs' are seen and heard in Orange Lodge parades....

An Early Christian monastery was founded here around 630 by St. Feichin who died of the plague in 664-5. At one time there were 300 monks in the monastery. It was burned in 771, 830 and again in 870, and a number of times in the course of the 11th and 12th centuries. From this old monastery one church - St. Feichin's - survives, standing in a graveyard above the road. Originally it was a simple rectangular building with antae, and with a Greek corss in relief over the flat-headed doorway. A c...

Pilgrim's Church; at the south-east corner of Gorumna Island is the church referred to as the - Pilgrim's Church - ....

Built into the modern Church of Ireland Cathedral of St. Feighlimidh is a fine 12th century Romanesque doorway which was removed from an early monastery on Trinity Island in Lough Oughter, three miles away.

In the rebuilding of the doorway in its present position, some of the stones have been incorrectly replaced....

St. Patrick is said to have founded the first monastery here. There is a well preserved Round Tower, which lacks its top windows. It is to be suspected that these originally existed, but were not included in the restoration works when the conical cap was replaced about 150 years ago.

The tower is unusual in that there is a Crucifixion about the round-headed doorway, and there are heads beside the arch. The nearby church was built in the 15th century, but it replaces a Romanesque c...

This church dates from 1737....

The Protestant church built in 1820 is a fine structure which contains a silver copy of the famous Cross of Cong, placed there in memory of the late Sir William Murphy.

The Catholic church built in 1830 stands on the site of the famous clochan, or beehive-shaped monastic stone hut from which the town takes its name....