Notice
Clone Church is a state-owned National Monument in the care of the Office of Public Works
*Please be aware this monument is located within a farmer’s field*
WARNING: It should be noted that these sites are unguided and a level of care and caution should be maintained during all stages of your visit. The Office Of Public Works (OPW) will not be held responsible for any damages, injuries, or losses that occur
Clone Church
The 13th century Romanesque church of Clone was in repair in 1615 when the then bishop of Ferns, Thomas Ram, made a visitation. It is noted that David Browne was the priest and John Lacy the curate. The lintelled church doorway has elaborate architraves (moulding that sits around a doorway frame) with chevrons on the outer moulding. On the outer face of the west wall are seven heads and one dogtooth decoration on stone. All the decorated stones are green stone. St. Peter’s Church in Ferns is the likely recipient of the Romanesque window missing from Clone Church.
To the south of the doorway is a cross-slab with a Maltese cross. A bullaun stone is found within the church, while another partial stone is found outside it. A sundial and a cross-slab, originally at Clone Church, have been removed by the OPW to Tintern Abbey. The cross-slab, with a height of 0.58m, is inscribed with a Maltese cross in a circle. The sundial, which is 1.18m in height, has a semi-circular head with its socket missing. Another cross-slab is held in the OPW depot in Kilkenny, again with an incised Maltese cross in a circle.
The surrounding graveyard holds an example of prehistoric passage tomb art. This grave-marker has a lightly pecked curvilinear design covering most of the stone. It consists of four arcs of closely-spaced lines going up, around and down the stone in an oval pattern. It is located 5m west of the Romanesque doorway of Clone Church.
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This national monument is protected in accordance with the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014
Gallery
Nearby sites to visit
Altamont Gardens
Old-world gardens with an atmosphere all of their own
Approx. 12.3 km from Clone Church
Ferns Castle
Two nations, two cultures and one shared heritage
Approx. 13.5 km from Clone Church
St. Mary’s Church Gowran
Records written in stone in the heart of Gowran
Approx. 25.3 km from Clone Church
Jerpoint Cistercian Abbey
Where Irish medieval sculpture reached new heights
Approx. 34.1 km from Clone Church
Kilkenny Castle
The jewel in the crown of an enchanting medieval city
Approx. 37.8 km from Clone Church
The John F. Kennedy Arboretum
A garden of presidential proportions.
Approx. 37.9 km from Clone Church