Founder(s) Rhuidche Official name Kilree Diocese Diocese of Ossory | Status ruined Reference no. 76 Disestablished 1539 | |
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Other names Cell-righ
Cill Ruidhehi
Kell Rudi Heritage designation Designations
National Monument of Ireland
Official name
Kilree
Reference no.
76 Similar Kells Priory, Aghaviller, Burnchurch Castle, Jerpoint Abbey, Ullard Church | ||
Kilree v mill
Kilree is a former Christian monastery and National Monument located in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
Contents
Kells kilree and dunnamaggin
Location
Kilree is located 2.4 km (1½ mile) south of Kells, County Kilkenny.
History
The monastery at Kilree was supposedly founded in the 6th century by Saint Rhuidche, from which the name Cell-righ derives.
Niall Caille, High King of Ireland, drowned in the Kings River at Callan in AD 846 and his body washed up near Kells, County Kilkenny. Some histories claim he was buried under the high cross at Kilree.
The site came into the possession of Kells Priory by 1340. It was surrendered to Henry VIII in 1539, and he granted the abbot a life pension.
Church
This is an early church with pronounced antae, indicating that it is pre-Romanesque in date. It still retains its oval enclosure.
Round tower
The round tower is about 26 m (85 ft) tall, depending on which ground level it is measured from. The arched sandstone doorway is 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) above ground level and is framed by moulding. The bell-storey has four lintelled windows facing the cardinal directions. The cap is gone but battlements remain.
The tower stands on a rectangular stone pad-foundation, only found here and at Aghaviller.
High cross
Kilree High Cross was erected in the 8th/9th Century. It is 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in) tall and covered with bosses and geometric designs. The east face has a hunting scene. The west face depicts the Adoration of the Magi and Daniel in the Lions' Den.