This the ninth letter in the series deals with Lynally and Rahan

ORDNANCE SURVEY LETTERS KING'S COUNTY

[ Letter no. 9 from John O'Donovan ]

Tullamore,
January 2nd 1838.

Dear Sir,

I visited Lynally and Rathain today, but having no historical references to them I did not know what to enquire for.

I remember that Rathain is the place whence the celebrated St. Carthagh, who afterwards settled at Lismore, was expelled by the chief of the district, but I have no account of the erection of any Church there after him. There is at present a beautiful old Church at Rahan measuring thirty six feet in length and twenty four in breadth. It resembles St. Fechin's Church at Fore in every particular excepting that its doorway is much more beautifully ornamented. This doorway is formed of chiselled stones, which are richly ornamented. It forms a semicircular arch at the top and measures about seven feet nine inches in height inside and seven feet on the outside and about two and a half feet in breadth, which looks remarkably narrow in proportion to the height. It has four windows, one in each gable and one in each side wall. These windows are in the round lancet style and appear to me to be very ancient, but I suspect that the richly ornamented stones in the doorway are modern insertions.

The stones of the whole building are remarkably large and the style of the masonry resembles that of many Churches of the primitive ages I have seen in other places. I dare say Mr. Petrie has already ascertained the age of this beautiful little Church.

Let me have the references to this place given by Colgan, Usher and also by Keating, who tells a wonderful story about black ravens which appeared chaunting hymns! over the grave of a King who was interred in the graveyard. The same story is told by Mac Firbisse.

There is no appearance of a graveyard at present, it being removed to the modern Church.

The tradition in the country states that Rahan is the oldest Church in the County, but there is no recollection of St. Carthach or Mochuda.

Is there any account in our Annals or Hagiologies of the time at which, or the person by whom, an Ecclesiastical Establishment was found at Rathain after the expulsion of Saint Mochuda?

Not far from this old Church is the ruin of some building, which is probably that of a modern Church.

Lynally contains the ruins of a Church, which are decidedly not old, but the wall which encloses the graveyard appears very ancient. To the south of the Church stands a moat said to contain vaults built of lime and stone. One of them has been broken into from the top and the masonry is exposed. [This is the Norman fortification.]

This is one of those moats which tradition states to have been places of retreat in times of danger and which, as being found in the neighbourhood of English castles, I consider to be of Anglo-Norman erection.

Has Mr. Petrie, during his antiquarian researches, met any evidence from which he could infer that the ancient Irish ever formed arches (vaults) of lime and stone within any of their moats? New Grange is in the Cyclopean style; Granard is not; Moat Farrell is not; Lynally is not. What conclusion, then, are we to draw? Are moats of this latter description to be met with in England, Wales or Scotland?

Let me have the notices of Lann Elo and St. Colman Elo, to be found in Usher, Colgan etc. If I remember rightly, the place at which St. Colman erected his Lann or Church was in Pagan times called Fiodh Elo or Elo Wood, which is said to lie in Feara Ceall in the Country of the Southern Hy Niall.

I was disappointed at not finding a well here bearing the name of St. Colman, the Patron. The only well is named after a blessed Priest of the name O'Hara, whose clay (i.e., the clay over whose grave) is used for the cure of diseases and who is about thirty years dead. His well is called St. O'Hara's Well, but this is ridiculous and we must call it Father O'Hara's Well or not give it at all. [Near the entrance to the golf club.]

There is a stream called Glaisi rising in the Townland of Derrybeg in Gesill and flowing into the Glash Bridge into Lord Charleville's Lake, which is mentioned by the Four Masters at the year 1567:-

"The Treasurer marched an army into Feara Cell to revenge upon O'Molloy (Art) his protection of the Woodkerns and other rebels, and on his occasion the whole country from the wood eastwards was ravaged. Baile-Mic-Abhain (now Ballycowan) and Lainn-Ela, both houses and Churches, were burned and Calvagh, the son of O'Molloy, was killed at Bel-Atha-Glaisi by the Treasurer and his army."

This Bel-Atha-Glaisi (Mouth of the Ford of Glash) is certainly the ford over which the Glash Bridge stands

Within the Church of Lynally is a tombstone of the O'Molloys with this inscription:-

Hic jact Corpus Domini Constantini O'Molloy de Cully qui me fieri fecit, Anno Domini 1683. [This was rediscovered in the "cleaning " of this cemetery.]

Con Molloy of Ballykilmurry in the Parish of Kilbride, within two and a half miles of Tullamore, is the senior representative of the O'Mulloy of Ballycowan. He is only a respectable farmer holding about 100 acres of land.

I wish you could let me have Sir Charles Coote's Account of the King's County. I am working very much in the dark for want of records. [Published in 1801.]

Your obedient servant,
John O'Donovan.