Kilcolman

5 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Kilcolman, from 1,461 m² to 300,616 m² (30.06 ha, 74.28 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 14 neighbouring parcels touch it.

Download the townland: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings; GeoJSON or KML.

No zone of a development plan covers Kilcolman in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

No planning application touches the townland of Kilcolman in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

• Special Area of Conservation: Lisduff Fen SAC 002147

Recorded monuments

• OF038-007 Ecclesiastical enclosure
  Description

  This monastery appears to have been named after St. Colman the black or ‘Black Colman’ which formed part of the monastic estate of Monaincha (TN018-001001-), Co. Tipperary. In 1503 there is a reference to 'sancti Colimani Nigri' which translates as 'Saint Colman the dark or black' (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 90). The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1838 recorded the local tradition that ‘that St. Colman [of Daire/Doire Mór] founded a monastery here, from whom the Parochial name Kilcolman (ecclesia S. Colmani) is formed' (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). However this tradition appears to be incorrect as the church of Daire Mór associated with St. Colmán was located in the townland of Longfordpass North (TN042-025----), Co. Tipperary (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 389; Manning 1997, 359; Ó Riain 2011, 196). In 1566 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries a 21 year lease of the lands of Kilcolman which formed part of the monastic estate of Monaincha also known as the house of the Blessed Virgin Mary de Insula Vitae [Island of Life], alias Inchenebeo were granted to William O’Carroll and his son, John (Nicholls 1994, 117). In 1586 the lease of these lands of Monaincha monastic estate including Kilcolman were granted to Sir Lucas Dillon on a 60 year term (Nicholls 1994, 750). In 1603, 30 acres of arable land and 16 acres of pasture in Kilcolman forming part of the monastic estate of Monaincha were granted to William Taaffe (Cal. pat. rolls Jas I, 2-3). On W end of natural hillock with wet partially reclaimed land from S, W to N, higher ground to E. Prior to reclamation the land from S through W to N would have been wet marshy land. A stream running N-S cuts through the W quadrant of this possible ecclesiastical enclosure (diam. 250m E-W; 160m N-S). The parish of Kilcolman straddles the two baronies of Clonlisk and Ballybritt. A cropmark of a roughly oval-shaped enclosure can be seen on 2005 OSI aerial photographs. On the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map the curving field boundary to the E follows the line of the possible ecclesiastical enclosure. Around the base of the hillock on which the chruch and graveyard are situated are the remains of a fosse which is clearly visible from N to E. There are no visible remains of this fosse in the field to the S of the hillock. In the field immediately W of the stream are the remains of a wide terrace running across the face of the rising ground. Traces of low earthworks can be seen in this field between the terrace and the stream to the W of the church and graveyard. The function, form and dating of these low earthworks is unclear. Inside the possible monastic enclosure are the remains of two churches (OF038-007001-; OF038-007003-), a graveyard (OF038-007004-), a holy well (OF038-007002-) and a bullaun stone (OF038-007005-). One of the churches (OF038-007003-) is annotated on the 6-inch map as ‘Insula Vitae Abbey’ [Abbey of the Island of Life] which is a reference to the monastery of Monaincha also known as Insula Vitae. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. See attached pdf document showing outline of cropmark of possible ecclesiastical enclosure superimposed onto 2005 OSI aerial photograph. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revision: 16 September 2014

• OF038-007001 Church
  Description

  At W end of natural hillock of dry land overlooking stream to W and partially reclaimed wet land from S through W to N. Ruins of rectangular church (OF038-007003-) in centre of graveyard (OF038-007004-). Site of St. Colmán's holy well (OF038-007002-) and bullaun stone (OF038-007005-) 65m to SSW. The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1838 recorded that the 'tradition in the place is that St. Colman [of Daire Mór] founded a monastery here, from whom the Parochial name Kilcolman (ecclesia S. Colmani) is formed' (O' Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). However this tradition appears to be incorrect as the church of Daire Mór associated with St. Colmán was located in the townland of Longfordpass North (TN042-025----), Co. Tipperary (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 389; Manning 1997, 359; Ó Riain 2011, 196). This monastery appears to have been named after St. Colman the black or ‘Black Colman’ which formed part of the monastic estate of Monaincha (TN018-001001-), Co. Tipperary. In 1503 there is a reference to 'sancti Colimani Nigri' which translates as 'Saint Colman the dark or black' (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 90). Today there are no surface remains visible of building that is depicted as 'Church (Site of)' on the 1908 ed. OS 25-inch map. On the 1838 edition of the OS 6-inch map the building depicted as a 'Church in ruins' is shown standing in the WSW quadrant of the graveyard (OF038-007004-) with a second building or church (OF038-007003-) marked as 'Site of Insula Vitae Abbey' located 30m to the ENE. In 1838 the Ordnance Survey Letters stated that in 'Kilcolman townland in Kilcolman parish is a Church in ruins and within the Churchyard is also a Chapel of ease in ruins, said to have been built by Col. Oxburgh' (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). This reference sugggests that inside the graveyard there was a 'Church in ruins' and a second building described as a 17th century 'Chapel of ease' built by Colonel Oxburgh of Boveen Castle whose family settled in the nearby townland of Boveen during the first quarter of the 17th century. It is not clear which building the Ordnance Survey are describing as a 'chapel of ease' and a 'Church in ruins'. On the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map a 'School or Old Chapel' is shown standing 65m to SSE of the graveyard. This 'Old Chapel' is not indicated on any subsequent editions of the Ordnance Survey six-inch maps. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revision: 12 September 2014

• OF038-007002 Ritual site - holy well
  Description

  No surface trace visible of a holy well dedicated to St. Colmán. This monastery appears to have been named after St. Colman the black or ‘Black Colman’ which formed part of the monastic estate of Monaincha (TN018-001001-), Co. Tipperary. In 1503 there is a reference to 'sancti Colimani Nigri' which translates as 'Saint Colman the dark or black' (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 90). Holy well located 55m SSW of two churches (OF038-007001-; OF038-007003-) standing inside a graveyard (OF038-007004-). Depicted as 'Site of St. Colman's Well' on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1838 recorded that 'St. Colman's Day is not now celebrated here; there was a well called after him which lay close to the old Roman Catholic Chapel of Kilcolman and is now shut up' (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). The well was located on low lying flat reclaimed wet land with bullaun stone (OF038-00705-) 40m to NNW. The precise location of this monument is uncertain as its location is not clearly identified on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. On this map the well appears to have been located at the junction of two field boundaries located to the S of the church and graveyard. The well may have been located at the E end of a drainage channel running E-W in the field 60m to the S of the church and graveyard. The current location of the well as shown on the OS 6-inch map appears to be marked in the wrong position. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revision: 16 September 2014

• OF038-007003 Church
  Description

  Depicted on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map as a rectangular building annotated as 'Site of Insula Vitae Abbey' and shown standing in E quadrant of graveyard (OF038-007004-). On the 1910 ed. OS 25-inch map this church building is annotated as 'Insula Vitae Abbey (in Ruins)' with site of church (OF038-007001-) 30m to SSW. St. Colman's holy well site (OF038-007002-) and bullaun stone (OF038-007005-) 55m to SSW. The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1838 recorded that the 'tradition in the place is that St. Colman [of Doire Mór] founded a monastery here, from whom the Parochial name Kilcolman (ecclesia S. Colmani) is formed' (O' Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). However this tradition appears to be incorrect as the church of Doire/Daire Mór is located in the townland of Longfordpass North (TN042-025----), Co. Tipperary (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 389; Manning 1997, 359; Ó Riain 2011, 196). In 1503 there is a reference to 'sancti Colimani Nigri' which translates as 'Saint Colman the dark or black' after whom Kilcolman may have been called (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 90). Described in the Civil Survey of 1654-56 as 'the church of Killcolman' (Simington 1961, 32). Church depicted standing close to the stream on the 1654-7 Down Survey maps of Clonlisk Barony and Kilcolman Parish (NLI MS 716 (32, 33)). At W end of natural hillock overlooking partially reclaimed wet land from S through W to N, with higher dry ground to E. Overlooking stream 90m to W. Ruins of a rectangular church (dims. 8.4m N-S x 16.7m E-W; wall T 0.8m) standing in E quadrant of graveyard, built with intermittently coursed limestone rubble with some large boulders at base of wall clearly visible on S face. N, S and W walls survive to full height (H 3.5m) with line of E gable which has been partially rebuilt. Evidence of modern repairs carried out on N wall of church and possibly to the W window which has been inserted back to front and does not belong to this window embrasure originally. Church entered through a broken out pointed doorway (Wth 1.35m) located off centre to W in S wall. Drawbar slot (dims. 0.15m x 0.15m; L 2m) visible in E side of broken out doorway gap. Elongated carved head projecting out from face of wall directly above doorway now covered in ivy. The single light W window in the centre of the W gable has been repaired or rebuilt at some stage and a late medieval twin-light round headed window head was inserted back to front into this window embrasure. The soffit of the window head has a glazing groove and iron bar hole visible. There is good evidence of lime based render which is still attached to the internal faces of the W and S walls of the church. Traces of whitewashed plaster still adheres to the inner faces of the window embrasure. A broken out window embrasure can be seen located off centre to E in the S wall of the church. No window openings or any broken out gaps in the upstandign N wall of the church. The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1838 suggested that these church ruins may have been built in the 17th century by Colonel Oxburgh of Boveen Castle (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). It is possible that this church building was incorrectly identified as part of the abbey by the Ordnance Survey in 1838. The Ordnance Survey Letters state that 'the old Abbey founded by this saint stood near Mr. Dillon's cottage in Kilcolman Townland, where a road runs by it, and that some of the stones of the building remain on the original site, now comprising partly of the fence along the roadside. The spot is known to Mr. Dillon, who calls his own cottage by the name of 'Insula Vitae', which was, he says, the name given by St. Colman to the place when first he fixed his establishment in it' (O'Flanagan 1933, vol 2, 31). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revision: 16 September 2014

• OF038-007004 Graveyard
  Description

  The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1838 recorded that the 'tradition in the place is that St. Colman [of Doire Mór] founded a monastery here, from whom the Parochial name Kilcolman (ecclesia S. Colmani) is formed' (O' Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). However this tradition appears to be incorrect as the church of Doire/Daire Mór associated with St. Colmán was located in the townland of Longfordpass North (TN042-025----), Co. Tipperary (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 389; Manning 1997, 359; Ó Riain 2011, 196). This monastery appears to have been named after St. Colman the black or ‘Black Colman’ which formed part of the monastic estate of Monaincha (TN018-001001-), Co. Tipperary. In 1503 there is a reference to 'sancti Colimani Nigri' which translates as 'Saint Colman the dark or black' (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 90). On W facing slope of rising ground in undulating countryside overlooking stream 50m to the W. Ruins of rectangular church (OF038-007001-) standing in E sector of graveyard. Site of levelled church (OF038-007001-) in SW area of graveyard. Large roughly rectangular shaped graveyard (int. dims. 32m NW-SE; 67m NE-SW) with 18th/19th-century headstones enclosed by a stone wall of post-medieval date. Graveyard entered through entrance gate at S with stile on W side of gateway. Site of St. Colman's holy well (OF038-007002-) 65m to S and bullaun stone (OF038-007005-) 50m to SSW. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revision: 16 September 2014

• OF038-007005 Bullaun stone
  Description

  Bullaun stone in a field 45m E of a stream inside a possible ecclesiastical enclosure (OF038-007----) with graveyard (OF038-007004-) containing two churches (OF038-007001-; OF038-007003-) 15m to N and site of St. Colman's holy well (OF038-007002-) 60m SSE. Bullaun stone consists of an earthfast boulder (dims. 1.05m x 0.65m; H 0.25m) with circular shaped shallow depression (top diam. 0.5m; base diam. 0.20m; D 0.25m) on SE face of boulder. Known locally as the 'backache stone'. Compiled by and revised: Caimin O'Brien Date of revision: 16 September 2014

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Kilcolman.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Radon

About 1 in 10 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

Susceptibility moderately low, low, low (inferred), on the 1:50,000 map.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_1674 (ZIP).

Flooding

The flood maps of the Office of Public Works: floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency; Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland; both CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

No address of the register names Kilcolman with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Offaly.

Name

Kilcolman · Cill Cholmáin

Area

711,950 m² (71.2 ha, 175.93 acres)

Civil parish

Kilcolman, and its townlands

Barony

Ballybritt

Electoral division

Dromoyle, the unit of the census

Census 2022

Dromoyle electoral division: 361 people in 111 households; 91% of households own their home; 33% of homes were built since 2001; 10% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 1% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Ballygaddy, Clonbeg, Cree, Killeenbreaghan, Lisduff

Placenames

Kilcolman on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics by electoral division, Central Statistics Office, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.