Rathmore Church is a ruined medieval church and National Monument in

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

, Ireland. It was constructed by the prominent Plunkett living nearby at Rathmore Castle. A modern church 0.5 km to the northeast serving the area was constructed in 1844. Archer and Smith describe it as similar in purpose to other churches constructed at Killeen and Dunsany.

Location

Rathmore Church is located northeast of

Athboy Athboy () is a small agricultural town located in County Meath. The town is located on the ''Yellow Ford River'', in wooded country near the County Westmeath border. Local Clubs are Clann Na nGael and Athboy Celtic. History In medieval time ...

, to the west of Jamestown Bog.

History

Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket was a lawyer and judge of the mid-15th century, serving as

Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...

in 1461 and 1463. He was married to Marion Cruise (Mary Anne Cruys) and died in 1471; the couple are buried together at Rathmore, Marion's hereditary family seat. Lieutenant-General

Thomas Bligh Lieutenant General Thomas Bligh (1685–1775) was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish-born Kingdom of Great Britain, British soldier, best known for his service during the Seven Years' War when he led a series of amphibious raids, known as "Naval Descen ...

(d. 1775) of the 20th Regiment of Foot has a monumental tablet in the church. He fought at Dettingen, Val, Fontneay, and Melle. He was also commander of the British troops at Cherbourg. The baptismal font was stolen in April 2013 but recovered in May of that year.

Church

Rathmore Church is a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

church with a three-storey sacristy and a tall bell tower. Features include a

piscina A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman ...

sedilia In church architecture, sedilia (plural of Latin ''sedīle'', "seat") are seats, usually made of stone, found on the liturgical south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for use during Mass for the officiating priest and his assistants, the ...

, carved heads and labyrinth stone. The effigy of Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket is in good condition; he wears armour and a dog sleeps at his feet. Marion's is badly damaged.

References

{{Reflist Archaeological sites in County Meath National Monuments in County Meath Former churches in the Republic of Ireland Ruins in Ireland Churches in County Meath