Kildare & Offaly

The early ecclesiastical site of Lullymore, Co. Kildare has a large number of very early cross slabs, of very unusual forms.

Martin Kelly stands on the bank of the outer enclosure of the church site, which is dated by documentary sources to the seventh century.

At Lemanaghan, Co. Offaly, the church has recently undergone extensive conservation work, including the reconstruction of the south jamb of the Romanesque west doorway. Dr Rachel Moss, who will be speaking to the Antiquaries later in the year about the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture, was the architectural historian who was responsible for the reconstruction work. Here she explains the history of the church as well as detailing the recent work.

St Mella's Cell is reached by a medieval togher running past a holy well and north east from the main church. Of uncertain date, the building is now in a far worse state of repair than when recorded by our founder, the Rev. James Graves, in the mid-19th century.