Killoughternane

Killoughternane is a small rural townland in County Carlow, Ireland, best known for the early medieval church that stands there. Set in quiet farming countryside in the south-east of the county, near the Blackstairs Mountains, it is a place of interest chiefly for those drawn to Ireland’s ecclesiastical heritage rather than to shops or busy amenities.

The main feature is Killoughternane Church, also called the White Church, a small stone oratory that is a national monument in the care of the Office of Public Works. It was built on the site of a monastery traditionally associated with St Fortchern, said to have been founded in the 5th century, and it grew into a noted place of learning. The surviving oratory is a compact rectangular building of local granite, with thick walls, a simple round-headed window and a stone font in one corner. Archaeological survey work has identified the foundations of numerous further buildings connected with the early monastic settlement.

Nearby stands a holy well associated with St Fortchern. It was here, in the 19th century, that the Braganza Chalice and paten were discovered, silver pieces bearing an inscription dated 1595 and thought to have been concealed during the penal era. The site is freely accessible and unguided, so visitors should take care and treat the ruins and their surroundings with respect.