Aghowle Church

About

Aghowle Church is a medieval church and national monument in County Wicklow, Ireland. It was one of the largest rural parish churches of its era. Aghowle is also a civil parish in the ancient barony of Shillelagh.

Location: Aghowle Church is located 1.7 km (1.1 mi) southwest of Coolkenno, near some tributaries of the River Derreen.

History: It is claimed that a monastery was founded on the site by Finnian of Clonard in the 6th century. They lived in Clocháin (beehive huts) around a wooden church The placename derives from the Irish for "field of apple trees." The present church dates to c. 1100 and was in use by the Church of Ireland until 1716–17. It is the principal ecclesiastical site of the northern Ui Felmeda. The large size of the structure indicates importance but the historical record is unclear why this parish was so important. Local legend tells of a "fugitive bell": apparently St Finnian (470–549) erected a belfry at Aghowle, but later moved the bell to his other monastery at Clonard. One day it vanished and reappeared at Aghowle, and, despite several attempts at removing it, the bell kept on returning to Aghowle.

The church is a long rectangular building...