RAHAN MONASTIC SITE - Offaly County Council

3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCEsoutheast of the Church of St Carthage. Other linear features and curving ditches all suggest the survival of acomplex sequence of possible archaeological features. The geophysical results show us the survival, the locationand the extent of the sub-surface archaeology. This clearly requires protection from any ground disturbance, whichcould result in the loss of this valuable archaeological resource.To the north of the Church of St Carthage there is a large rectangular earthwork that appears to be of archaeologicalsignificance and may be an enclosing element for a building associated with the large church. Immediately west ofthe graveyard there is a splendid old hawthorn tree growing on the footings of another building of archaeologicalsignificance. The section of graveyard wall that forms the eastern side of this area appears to be the upstandingremains of this building and is of different construction to the rest of the graveyard wall which dates from thenineteenth century.To the south of the Church of St Carthage, archaeological test trenching was carried out in the area abutting thesouth wall of the church by Tony Cummins on behalf of Sheila Lane and Associates in September 2004. This testtrenching was carried out to explore the option of lowering the ground level in order to alleviate the damp probleminside the church. Human remains were found 20cm below modern ground level. The presence of graves alongthe length of the south wall ruled out the proposed drainage option. 323.2 Buildings archaeology and associated featuresChurch of St Carthage (SMR No. OF016-015001)The chancel measures 4.5m x 3.3m internally and has a vaulted stone roof, now covered with natural slate.Originally, over the chancel there was a small loft space or croft that was formed by a lower vault, now removed.The scar for this former vault is still visible on the inner face of the south wall of the chancel. The croft was linked tothe chancel by a mural stairs that rose within the eastgable. A rebuilt flat-headed doorway located at theeast end of the north wall of the chancel gave accessto the mural stairs at ground level, while a similaropening linked the stairs to the croft in the south eastcorner of the east gable at first floor level. This croftmay have been built as a fireproof chamber where theprecious relics of the newly consecrated church werekept. The mural stairs would have enabled the clergyto bring the relics down from the croft and place themon display in one of the porticus or side-chapels forvisiting pilgrims. Both of these door openings survivealong with the upper and lower sections of the muralstairs, the middle section of which was removed duringthe installation of a tall east window in the thirteenthcentury. There are fragments of a lime wash undercoatwith traces of a reddish colour paint still visible on thesurface of the jambstones of these doorways.Plate 20. Internal face of 13th century east window.40Plate 21. External face of eastgable showing round Romanesquewindow and 20th century windowinserted by William Martin.