RAHAN MONASTIC SITE - Offaly County Council

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1.0 INTRODUCTION1.0 INTRODUCTION1.1 The SiteThe monastic site of Rahan lies in flat pasture land on the south bank of the Clodiagh River, seven miles west ofTullamore, on the road from Rahan to Killina. The Grand Canal passes to the south of the site. In the fifth centuryCamelacus was appointed by Patrick to establish a monastery at Rahan, later re-founded by St Carthage in thesixth century. The monastery is contained within a large D-shaped enclosure with the Clodiagh River forming thestraight section on its northern side. The monastic enclosure originally consisted of two earthen banks with anintervening fosse as described by local antiquarian Thomas Stanley in 1870. 2 Today the outer enclosing elementsurvives largely intact as an earthen bank with an external fosse or ditch, the form of which is still preserved inthe field boundaries to the east, south and west of the churches. The inner bank and intervening fosse have beendegraded over the centuries but are still visible as low earth works to the east of the smaller church. The outlineof a section of levelled enclosure can still be seen in the field to the south-east of the Bridge House. It is possiblethat the river may at one time have been diverted to supply water to the fosse, to form a moat around the earlyChristian monastery of Rahan. There are two churches inside the enclosure, of which the largest, dedicated toSt Carthage, is still used as a place of worship by the Church of Ireland community. The second church survivesas a ruin in the care of the Office of Public Works. This ruinous building is located to the east of the Church ofSt Carthage. A smaller ruin, also in the care of the OPW, contained a sheela-na-gig and may have been a towerhouse, stands to the south of the Church of St Carthage in the graveyard used by the local Catholic community.This latter structure is shown on some maps as a church, but its size, ground plan and barrel-vaulted roof suggeststhat it was a tower house rather than a place of worship. The levelled wall footings of a possible third church weredescribed by Father Carthage, a Cistercian monk from Mount Melleray Abbey, Co. Waterford as being located closeto the small church at Rahan. 3 An ancient graveyard, no longer in use, lies to the south and east of the Churchof St Carthage.1.2 Background and ApproachIn 1988 Rahan monastic site was listed in the Sites and Monuments Record of County Offaly published by the Officeof Public Works. In 1995 this site was given statutory protection under Section 12 of the National Monument(Amendment) Act 1994 when the Record of Monuments and Places for County Offaly was published by the OPW. In2002, having identified the importance of its monastic heritage, Offaly Heritage Forum commissioned a report onthe care and condition of all the early monastic sites contained within the county. This was completed by CaiminO’Brien in 2003 under the title Condition and Management Report on the Early Christian Monasteries of County Offaly.The report highlighted twenty-three significant monastic sites, dating from the Early Christian period, that hadbeen established in the county. Rahan had already been well documented previously, but the report highlightedits importance and the need for further action. In the same year, the Church of Ireland requested assistance fromthe Heritage Council, and they commissioned Desmond Fitzgerald Architects to prepare a conservation report.Subsequently, a conservation plan was prepared for the monastic site at Lemanaghan, which has proved to be avaluable tool in the management and conservation of this important site. In recognising the constructive role aconservation plan can play in managing a site of different and sometimes complex ownerships and interests, it wasconsidered appropriate to commission a conservation plan to provide similar guidance to the various guardiansof the monastic site at Rahan.Figure 3.OrdnanceSurvey Map6-inch map(1838).14
1.3 Aims and Objectives1.0 INTRODUCTIONThis Conservation Plan is drawn up in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Australian Burra Charterpublished by ICOMOS in 1999, which provides a model for the conservation and management of places of culturalsignificance (see Appendix 1). The charter sets out standards of practice for those with responsibility for theguardianship of such places. This may include owners, managers and custodians, consultants, statutory advisors,decision makers and contractors. Places of cultural significance enrich people’s lives, often providing a deep andinspirational sense of connection; to the community; the landscape; to the past and to lived experiences.A fundamental principle of the Burra Charter is that places of cultural significance should be conserved for thebenefits of present and future generations. It advocates a cautious approach to change; to do as much as necessaryto care for a place and make it useable and understandable, but otherwise to change it as little as possible so thatits cultural significance might best be retained.The general aims of a Conservation Plan are to:n Provide an accurate historical record of the placen Understand the significance of the placen Identify any threats to the significancen Formulate polices for the future preservation and management of the placen Recommend proposals for conservation worksn Identify potential funding sources, particularly for grant aidn Provide accurate documentation of the site to facilitate future decision making1.4 Project TeamThis conservation plan was prepared by Howley Hayes Architects, in association with Caimin O’Brien, archaeologistwith the Archaeological Survey of Ireland a section of the National Monuments Service. Fiona Devery of the OffalyHeritage Forum provided information on the natural heritage of the site. Kate Crane and Aubrey Fennell, arboritalconsultants provided a report on the graveyard yew and other trees at Rahan. Dr Paul Gibson, EnvironmentalGeophysics Unit, Department of Geography, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare surveyed thesite in 2006 and 2007. Master mason Rory Young for his stone conservation report.1.5 StakeholdersThe stakeholders are represented by the following individuals:Rev Gerard FieldRev Seamus DunicanTom FinnertySean GrennanAna DolanAmanda PedlowCon ManningJacqueline DonnellyRector of the Church of Ireland Church of St CarthageP.P. Catholic Church (responsible for the modern graveyard)Island Rahan Development Association (IRDA)Landowner and farmerOffice of Public Works (OPW)Heritage Officer, Offaly County CouncilNational Monuments Service, Department of Environment, Heritage andLocal Government (DoEHLG)Architectural Heritage Advisory Unit of the Department of theEnvironment, Heritage and Local Government (DoEHLG)15
Page 4 and 5: This is an action of the Offaly
Page 6: CONTENTSAcknowledgements 9Foreword
Page 18 and 19: REV.NOTESDATE5 Upper O'Connell Stre
Page 20 and 21: 1.0 INTRODUCTIONLEGEND OF HISTORIC
Page 23: 1.0 INTRODUCTIONRahan Church Sectio
Page 26 and 27: 2.0 UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE2.0 UNDE
Page 28 and 29: 2.0 UNDERSTANDING THE PLACERahan mo
Page 30 and 31: 2.0 UNDERSTANDING THE PLACENineteen
Page 32 and 33: 2.0 UNDERSTANDING THE PLACETwentiet
Page 34 and 35: 2.0 UNDERSTANDING THE PLACEjambs an
Page 36 and 37: 2.0 UNDERSTANDING THE PLACEBuilding
Page 38 and 39: 2.0 UNDERSTANDING THE PLACEPlate 15
Page 40 and 41: 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCEsoutheast of t
Page 42 and 43: 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCEThe inner reve
Page 44 and 45: 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCESuggested Buil
Page 46 and 47: 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCEPlate 34. Sout
Page 48 and 49: 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCEFigure 33. Rub
Page 50 and 51: 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE3.3 Artefacts
Page 52 and 53: 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE3.4 EcologyThe
Page 54 and 55: 4.0 ASSESSMENT and STATEMENT OF SIG
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5.0 DEFINING THE ISSUES AND ASSESSI
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5.0 DEFINING THE ISSUES AND ASSESSI
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6.0 CONSERVATION POLICIES6.4 Church
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6.0 CONSERVATION POLICIESPolicy 4g:
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6.0 CONSERVATION POLICIES6.7 Ecolog
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LIST OF IMAGESLIST OF IMAGESCover.
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BibliographyBibliographyCarthage (F
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AbbreviationsAbbreviationsA. Clon.
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APPENDICESAppendix 2Nineteenth and
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APPENDICESby the Irish masons even
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APPENDICESDescriptions of the Circu
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APPENDICESSmall ChurchIn 1845 Petri
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APPENDICESAppendix 3Rahan — Timel
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APPENDICESAppendix 4New Parish of F
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APPENDICESThe Book of Ballymote (Le
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ENDNOTESENDNOTES1 Plummer 1922, 2,
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RAHAN MONASTIC SITE - Offaly County Council

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