Monaincha : Church
Visit Notes
Sunday, 22nd February 2004
I can't imagine why I missed out this site when I first entered my days visits, but I'll rectify that now. I visited here after Ballaghmore (County Laois). The site is now reached along a narrow lane through a plantation, which suddenly opens up to reveal this eye-pleasing site.
The spot used to be an island in the middle of some bog and, if the evidence from Corlea Ancient Trackway (County Longford) is taken into account, this site was probably sacred long before the Christians settled here in the 7th century. The land has since been drained and so now the church and cross appear to sit on a raised hillock in the centre of a large field.
The cross is a mish-mosh of bits, both modern and old. The broken 12th century head is set on a modern post that is set into an earlier base. The head has a heavy relief crucifixion on it and one side of the base has a very eroded scene - said to be a hunting scene.
The church has a nice Romanesque doorway and chancel arch. Both of these are in good condition.
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| Michael O'Halloran from Kildimo, Co. Limerick |  |
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A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
5.7 Km (SSE) there is a Standing Stone at Timoney Hills known as Timoney Stones.
7.8 Km (ESE) there is a Henge at Skirk (Co. Laois).
7.3 Km (ENE) there is a Standing Stone at Clonfertmulloe (Co. Laois).
2.5 Km (WNW) there is a Round Tower at Roscrea.
A Selection of Other Churches
 Killelan (Co. Kildare) |  Kilbunny (Co. Waterford) |  St. Mary's Church (Co. Wicklow) |
 St. Mary's Church (Co. Clare) |  Mellifont Abbey (Co. Louth) |  Rathmore (Co. Westmeath) |
About Coordinates Displayed
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This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |
