| Church Ruins
© Killeedy church ruin
St Ita built the first church in Killeedy in 546. This church was a monastery
for both monks and nuns. As was the case with many of the monasteries
in Ireland, Norsemen frequently raided the monastery. In 845 the Vikings
burned Killeedy. A church was built on the monastic site after 845. However,
Killeedy was raided again in 857 and 916.
Also within the parish there was a church at Killila Bridge. The church
is about 2 ½ miles from Ashford on the road to the village of Broadford
on the right hand side of the road. The site of the church is now covered
by a grove of trees.
According to local man Timmy Sheehan, this church was believed to be
St Ita's first church in the area. The stones of the walls of the church
are still there according to Mr Sheehan. When Timmy was a young boy he
remembers that they were warned not to play there. People were buried
here during famine times.
There is also a story told that the owner of the land tried to plough
the land once. However as he turned each sod of earth, the sod instantly
fell back into the ground. On noticing this, the farmer left the field
in a hurry and planted the area with trees and erected a wire fence around
the site.
Westropp mentions a church called Killilagh in the parish of Killeedy,
which he says is now forgotten. Westropp also mentions a site called Dromcathmeath,
may have been in the same parish as Killilagh church ruin in Killeedy.
However, he does not specify whether this site was the site of a church
or a burial ground.
According to Westropp, there was a thatched church in good condition
in 1615 but by 1655, only the ruins of the building remained. The church
in Killeedy was used as a place of Protestant worship until around 1800.
The church together with the glebe house was destroyed by the Rockites
in 1822. The Rockites were an Agrarian revolt group similar to the Whiteboys.
Following this, the nave was dismantled and the stones were used as markers
for graves.
There was once a church in Kilcoora but it no longer exists. The site
is believed to have been on the northern bank of the Darrery River. This
church may have also been known as Kilconroe.
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