St Bartholomew's Church, Castletown-Kinneigh

St Bartholomew's Church is a small Romanesque Anglican church located in Castltown-Kinneigh, County Cork, Ireland. It was completed in 1856, and is dedicated to Bartholomew the Apostle. It is part of the Kinneigh Union of Parishes in the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross. Kinneigh Round Tower (Irish: Cloigtheach Chionn Eich) is located on the church grounds, and is the only round tower in Ireland with a hexagonal base.

St Bartholomew's Church
St Batholomew's Church, with Kinneigh Round Tower visible behind.
Map
CountryIreland
DenominationChurch of Ireland
Architecture
Architect(s)Joseph Welland
StyleRomanesque
Completed1856
Official nameKinneigh Round Tower
Reference no.618

History

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Following the destruction of a 7th-century monastic site by Vikings, a new monastery was built at the present site of the church, and the round tower was erected. The current church building was completed in 1856, replacing an earlier church from 1794.[1]

A memorial to Richard O'Sullivan Burke is located on the exterior walls of the church grounds.[2]

Architecture

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St Batholomew's is built in the Romanesque style, and features a six-bay nave, a single-bay chancel, and a vestry.[3]

Round tower

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A close-up of the tower, showing the hexagonal base.

Kinneigh Round Tower is the only surviving feature of a monastery founded by St Mocholmóg in the 7th century, though the tower itself was likely not built until the 11th century. During the mid-19th century it was in use as a bell tower.[4] The tower currently stands at 67.25 feet (20.50 m), though would likely have originally stood 95 feet (29 m) high or even taller.[5]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ St Leger 2013, p. 367.
  2. ^ durrushistory (24 August 2015). "Richard O'Sullivan Burke (1838-1922), Clouneyreague, Kinneigh, Co. Cork, Soldier, Fenian, Patriot, Colonel US Civil War, Member Clann na Gael in USA, his Brother Morgan". West Cork History. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  3. ^ FUSIO. "St Bartholomew's Church of Ireland Church, SLEENOGE, CORK". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. ^ Dúchas: The Heritage Service, Plaque located at the base of the tower, Kinneigh Round Tower: This Round Tower, the only survival of an early monastery founded by Mocholmóg, is the only Round Tower in Ireland with a hexagonal base. It was probably built sometime in the 11th century. The tower has a basement and five storeys with the hexagonal base rising to half-way up the first floor. The floors were supported by flagstones projecting inward towards the centre of the tower. In the mid-19th century it was again used as a bell-tower.
  5. ^ Crawford 1927, p. 67.

Sources

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  • Crawford, Henry S. (30 June 1927). "The Round Tower of Kinneigh, Co. Cork". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 17 (1): 67–68. JSTOR 25513433 – via JSTOR.
  • St Leger, Dr. Alicia (2013). "The Province of Dublin: Cork, Cloyne and Ross". In McAuley, Alicia; Costecalde, Dr. Claude; Walker, Prof. Brian (eds.). The Church of Ireland: An illustrated history. Dublin: Booklink. p. 367. ISBN 978-1-906886-56-1.

51°45′51″N 8°58′30″W / 51.76405°N 8.97508°W / 51.76405; -8.97508