Aghaviller () National Monument, is a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

and

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and fu ...

in County Kilkenny,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Aghaviller gives its name to the wider townland, civil parish, and electoral district. Located south-east of Kilkenny, about six miles south of

Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number o ...

near

Knocktopher Knocktopher (historically ''Knocktofer'' and ''Knocktover''; ) is a village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is situated on the R713 road between the villages of Stoneyford to the north, and Ballyhale to the south. It was formerly situated on ...

Etymology

The

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Flood myt ...

call it ''Achadh-biorair'' (Ahabirrer), meaning ''the field of watercresses''. Tighe refers to Agha-oillir, meaning ''field of the pilgrim''.

Church and tower

Interior of Aghaviller ruined church, Newmarket, Co

A few yards distant from the site of the old church, is the remains of the lower part of an ancient round tower composed of

breccia Breccia () is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or rocks cemented together by a fine-grained matrix. The word has its origins in the Italian language, in which it means "rubble". A breccia may have a variety of ...

. The Statistical Survey of 1802, makes reference to the tower, as does the 1855 Kilkenny Archaeological Society. It is one of five round towers located around the county, the others are at Kilkenny, Tullaherin,

Kilree Kilree is a former Christian monastery and National Monument located in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Location Kilree is located 2.4 km (1 mile) south of Kells, County Kilkenny. History The monastery at Kilree was supposedly founded in t ...

and Grangefertagh. The tower is different from many round towers as it has two doors. Nearby is a holy well and Castlemorres Demesne.

Civil parish

In 1851 the

Civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

of Aghaviller contained the townlands of Aghaviller, Ballinteskin, Ballinva, Barnadown, Bartonsfarm, Boolyglass, Brownstown, Carrickmerlin, Castlemorris, Catstown, Coalpitparks, Condonstown, Croan, Hugginstown, Kingsmountain or Mylerstown, Kyleva, Mabbotstown, Mylerstown or Kingsmountain, Newmarket and Westmoreland.

Roman Catholic parish

Part of

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

of Aghaviller is in the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Parish of Aghaviller (Earliest Record: b. Oct 1847; m. Feb 1848. ), and part is in the oman Catholic Ballyhale Parish (Earliest Record: b. Aug 1823; m. 1876 ). It was included within the union of Knocktopher, or Ballyhale. Ballyhale was part of Aghaviller Catholic parish prior to September 1847.

Footnotes

References

Notes

External links

* {{National Monuments of Ireland Churches in County Kilkenny National Monuments in County Kilkenny Civil parishes of County Kilkenny Townlands of County Kilkenny