Kilsheelan Romanesque Church, Tipperary

 Kilsheelan Hiberno-Romanesque Church

In the Irish context, stone built Churches dating from the 11th and 12th century are often instead of being called "Romanesque" referred to as "Hiberno-Romanesque".

You'd have to ask an architect which term is technically correct and I presume if you asked two you'd get two different answers, however I'm digressing from the core subject of this post.

I went to Kilsheelan to meet up for a cycling event but I went to the wrong place initially which is where I came across this antiquity.

It's referred to as Kilsheelan Old Church and lies between Clonmel and Carrick on Suir in County Tipperary.

Located nearby is an Anglo-Norman Motte and Kilsheelan is the site of a deserted medieval settlement of which no visible trace remains today. 

Lands were granted here to Willian de Burgh circa 1192 (Jean Farrelly 2011)

The Romanesque Church architecture possibly dates to the 12th Century however the present ruin is of a later date, somewhere from about the 15th Century onwards. 

This date is suggested due to the presence of the Bellcote tower and Ogee headed window.

I have come across very little information about the site and because I ended up here by accident I literally had just a few minutes to grab a few quick photographs.

The English translation of Kilsheelan is The Church of Sillan (Siollan) and there are several Saints to be found with this name.

It's possible the name Sillan may refer to Saint Sillan of Lismore in Waterford which lies roughly 50 Kilometres away from Kilsheelan.

The small but quaint looking village looked like a spot I would want to return to should I ever get the chance.

Keep the wheels turning.

Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland - Kilsheelan

Homonymous Saints of Ireland - Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae

Co-ordinates here : 

52°21'37.5"N 7°34'39.5"W