St. Kieran's Church is a medieval church and

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

located in

Errill Errill () is a village in southwest County Laois, Ireland, near the County Tipperary and County Kilkenny borders. It is centred on a village green around which sits a shop with the local post office, two pubs and a Roman Catholic church. The lo ...

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

, Ireland.

Location

St Kieran's Church is located to the south of

village, about 5 km (3½ miles) to the west of Rathdowney, on the south bank of the Errill River (a tributary of the

River Erkina The River Erkina ( ga, An tOircín) is a river that flows through the county of Laois in Ireland. It is a tributary of the River Nore. It has its source on the Laois-Kilkenny border south of Rathdowney. It flows north towards Rathdowney and th ...

, which itself feeds into the

Nore The Nore is a long bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades into the cha ...

History

The site at Errill dates back to the early Christian period, when a monastery was founded by Saint

Ciarán of Saigir Ciarán of Saigir (5th century – ), also known as Ciarán mac Luaigne or Saint Kieran ( cy, Cieran), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland and is considered the first saint to have been born in Ireland,''Catholic Online''St. Kier ...

(died ca. AD 530). A holy tree and holy well associated with Kieran stand nearby. Only grass-covered wall footing remains of the monastery. The church was built later, in the medieval period. A wayside cross was constructed in the 17th century.

The building

The ruins consist of upstanding walls, measuring 16.9 m x 8.8 m. A doorway and rounded window remains in the south wall. Another window survives also. Masonry has been reused as gravemarkers in the graveyard.

References

{{Reflist Religious buildings and structures in County Laois Archaeological sites in County Laois National monuments in County Laois