Kilmurryely

Area

41,647 m² (4.16 ha, 10.29 acres)

Buildings

No building touches it.

Zoning

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

Townland

Kilmurryely

Planning applications on this parcel

No planning application touches this parcel 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

• Natural Heritage Area: Cangort Bog NHA 000890

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 4 recorded monuments.

• OF042-014 Church
  Description

  The medieval church ruins of Kilmurry in the parish of Kilmurryely (Chill Mhuire Éile/ St Mary's Church in Ely), diocese of Killaloe, in the barony of Clonlisk stands in the N quadrant of a sub-circular shaped graveyard (OF042-014001-), on slight elevated grassland overlooking a stream and bog to the S. The straight sided-graveyard boundary at W forms the townland boundary with Kilmurryely. The 1305 inquisition of the Anglo-Norman settlement of Ely O’Carroll recorded that John de Barry was in possession of ‘one ploughland in Kyllorly [Kilmurryely]’ (White 1932, 151). In 1471 Rory Odroblan, perpetual vicar of the parish church of Birr [OF035-012001-], wrote to the pope complaining about ‘Philip Ohyynayn [O’Heenan], perpetual vicar of the parish church of Killynure [Kilmurry] in the same diocese’ who was described as ‘a notorious fornicator, has sold and alienated the immovable goods of the said vicarage of Killinure [Killinmure], and has by his negligence allowed a parishioner to die without confession and other sacraments and has neglected to celebrate divine offices in his church’ (Cal. papal letters, 359). The vicar of Birr church requested in his papal petition that the ‘vicarage of Rouscrurnog [Roscomroe OF039-055----] are too slight for the maintenance etc. of its holder, and that if the said vicarage of Killinure [Kilmurry] and his said vicarage of Birra, which is of the patronage of laymen, were united and annexed for his lifetime only to that of Roscrurnog he could be more decently maintained etc. and attend better to the repair of the said churches’ (ibid.). The parish of Kilmurry appears to have been joined to Birr during the lifetime of Rory Odroblan as requested in the papal letters, for in 1471 the church taxation of the diocese of Killaloe, collected the tithes from Rory Odroblen who is described as the perpetual vicar of the parish church of Birr, Roscomore and of 'Kyllmure' [Kilmurry]' (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 47). The Royal Visitation of Killaloe diocese carried out in 1615 recorded that the rectory of 'Kilmurry' was served by the vicar of Shinrone and was worth 40 shillings per annum, the building was described as 'Church and chancell up' (Murphy and Ormond 1914, 223). The 1654-56 Civil Survey recorded that there were six entire parishes in the barony of Clonlisk in which stood the parish of 'Killmurry and Synrone [Shinrone]' (Simington 1961, 33). The terrier of the Down Survey map of the parish of 'Killmurry' recorded that in the townland of Galbally there was 'Gleab Land' belonging to the church which measured six plantation acres in size (NLI Ms 716 (25). On this map the church which is not depicted appears to have stood on the townland of Ballaghboy which was unforfeited Protestant lands. Rectangular undivided church (ext. dims. 23.1m E-W; 8.6m N-S; wall T 0.85m) built with uncoursed sandstone rubble with S, E and W walls surviving and grass covered wall footings of the N wall. At the E end of the S wall there are two blocked up sandstone windows either side of a surviving window with limestone jambs with arch missing. At the W end of the S wall there is a destroyed doorway with only the bar slot surviving. On the E wall there is evidence of a destroyed window. At the base of the S wall at the E end there is a circular shaped stone (diam. 0.75m) with central socket (diam. 0.12m; D 0.21m) which has a bulbous shaped convex base. The stone is now used as part of the fabric for the wall construction. The socket has votive offerings placed inside it by people visiting the church and is known locally as the 'Headache stone'. It may have been a possible base of a cross. The graveyard (OF042-014001-) is enclosed by a circular earth and stone bank (Wth 2m: ext. H 1.3m) possibly an Early Christian enclosure. The evidence from the church would suggest two building phases possibly an early medieval phase represented by the two blocked up windows and a later medieval phase represented by the surviving limestone window. The possible cross base and circular enclosure may represent an Early Christian period. 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 revised upload: 21 March 2022

• OF042-014001 Graveyard
  Description

  Situated on the S facing slope of rising ground overlooking river to the S. Rectangular undivided church (OF042-014----) in N quadrant of graveyard. The graveyard (dims. c. 61m N-S x 60m E-W) is enclosed by a D-shaped or sub-circular earth and stone bank (Wth 2m: ext. H 1.3m) possibly an Early Christian enclosure (OF042-014003-) surmounted by an iron fence with double swing-gates either side of an iron coffin-stand at NE. The straight sided earthen bank at W forms the townland boundary with Kilmurryely and there is no evidence for the enclosing bank on the W side of this field boundary. 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 revised upload: 21 March 2022

• OF042-014002 Cross
  Description

  Situated on the S facing slope of rising ground overlooking river to the S. Rectangular undivided church (OF042-014----) ruins standing in N quadrant of graveyard. At the base of the S wall at the E end of the church there is a circular shaped stone (diam. 0.75m) with central socket (diam. 0.12m; D 0.21m) which has a bulbous shaped convex base. The stone is now used as part of the fabric for the wall construction. The socket has votive offerings placed inside it by people visiting the church and is known locally as the 'Headache stone'. A shallow bullaun depression is visible on the surface of this stone which also has the appearance of a mill-stone. The circular-shaped stone may have been the possible base of a cross. The graveyard (OF042-014001-) is enclosed by a circular earth and stone bank (Wth 2m: ext. H 1.3m) which could be the possible remains of an Early Christian enclosure (OF042-014003-). Folklore collected about this stone by Michael Morkan, a pupil from Ballincor Demesne National School recorded the following tradition; 'There is a grave yard in this district called Kilmurray. There are the ruins of an old church there. There is the shape of a saint's head in one of the walls. People visit here and leave a token because it is generally believed that if you put your head in the wall you will never suffer from headaches again. The chapel belonging to a family named Murray who lived there in the olden times. St Patrick spent some time there in the olden times. Some say the shame of the head in the wall belongs to St Patrick' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0819, Page 178; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5044645/5028623) 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 revised upload: 21 March 2022

• OF042-014003 Ecclesiastical enclosure
  Description

  Situated on the S facing slope of rising ground overlooking river to the S. Rectangular undivided church (OF042-014----) built with uncoursed sandstone rubble with S, E and W walls surviving and grass covered wall footings of the N wall. At the base of the S wall at the E end of the church there is a circular shaped stone (diam. 0.75m) with central socket (diam. 0.12m; D 0.21m) which has a bulbous shaped convex base. The stone is now used as part of the fabric for the wall construction. The socket has votive offerings placed inside it by people visiting the church and is known locally as the 'Headache stone'. It may have been a possible base of a cross. The graveyard (OF042-014001-) is enclosed by a circular earth and stone bank (Wth 2m: ext. H 1.3m) possibly an Early Christian enclosure. The evidence from the church would suggest two building phases possibly an early medieval phase represented by the two blocked up windows and a later medieval phase represented by the surviving limestone window. 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. Date of upload: 23 May 2011

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands on this parcel.

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).

Ground and risks

Radon

At the centre of this parcel, about 1 in 10 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as low.

Terrain model

No LiDAR survey of the Office of Public Works covers the centre of this parcel.

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under 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.

Download this parcel as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program. GeoJSON, in WGS 84, suits a map, and KML opens in Google Earth.

Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.