Saturday morning was promised to be a nice day so I headed out to explore the hill of Allen. As it turned out the weather was terrible, with strong winds and dark skies. To make matters worse, when I got to the hill, I could not find a way up. I drove around the hill four or five times before finally giving up. I guess I was just not meant to visit on that day, but I shall return. So I moved on towards Prosperous, a small village in Kildare. Just outside the village in the middle of a large field lies the walled ruins of an old church and graveyard known as Downing’s. It has been sitting on my list for some time know so it was the perfect opportunity.
Surprisingly it looked like a rather interesting place to visit when I observed it on satellite imagery, but sadly once you get there I found it to be rather unimpressive. The site is not signposted but easy enough to find. Once through the gate in the hedgerow there is a little walk before reaching the site. The only redeeming factor to this ruin was that it is the site of one of the earliest religious settlements in Ireland. Dating back to the sixth century, Downing’s was the site of St. Farnans Cell. There is supposed to be a nearby well also associated with St. Farnan. Apparently drinking from this well was said to quench the thirst for alcohol. I was unable to find the said well so I could not confirm the claim.
The circular stone wall enclosure was typical of early Christian burial sites in Ireland. On approach I noticed a pair of billy goats grazing within the confines of the graveyard so after inspecting the site I decided not to disturb their early morning feed. Very little remains of the small church building which was built by the knights Hospitaller. The church itself only measures about 13m by 5m and was constructed with coursed limestone blocks. The east gable is still standing and parts of the exterior walls remain which can be used to make out the original size of the structure. A cross slab which once rested here has been moved to the nearby church in Prosperous. Little else is known regarding this site except for mention of a clergy in 1538, Nicholas O’Hanlon being the Vicar of Downings. By 1837 the church was said to be in ruins according to the Topographical dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis.
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Great photos and information.
Irene
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Thank you Irene 🙂
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fascinated by the humps and bumps within that old graveyard…
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Glad you liked them, they sure are fascinating
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Good to have a post from you Ed. Too bad your expectations for the site were not realized – some days just go like that. What you did find was interesting enough. Thanks!
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Thanks Rob, it started out to be a bad day, but I did a bit of a blitz and found some great stuff, will post later in the week. Time to start working on Wednesdays re-work or it might end up being thursday 🙂
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I showed up at a supposedly abandoned school for the deaf on Saturday – and surprise… it was repurposed into a police training school – obviously, I did NOT enter ‘:-)
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Wow, at least its being used for something, were you not tempted to use a sneaky zoom lense 🙂 I’d say you might get some interesting shots there. Bring some doughnuts and they might let you in 🙂
I’ve had this idea the last few days about doing a shoot on a firing range!
Now I need to find someone willing to let me do it?
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Just stay up range Ed…not down range ‘:-)
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LOL, a whole new meaning to shooting 🙂
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The black and white photography here really lends a more haunting feel to these pics – really enjoyed looking at these! Thanks for sharing them 🙂
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Thank you, its my pleasure, so glad that you enjoyed them 🙂
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I am glad to know that I am not the only who thinks that graveyard offer beautiful photos …. I always feel a little awkward when I speak to someone about beautiful pictures I’ve taken in a cemetery
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Ah yes some people seem to have a complex about such things, but that’s their problem. I wouldn’t worry about it. Let the image speak for itself, 🙂
Eddie
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Reminds me of a graveyard near my home. Nice shots!
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Thank you, glad you enjoyed it, 🙂
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I like how you let the billy goats eat. 🙂 Your posts are always so fascinating.
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Thank you Nia, much appreciated 🙂
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