Donaghmore Church is the ruins of a 12th century Romanesque church known as St Farranan’s situated close to Lisronagh in South Tipperary. St Farranan was a 10th century Irish saint who established an earlier church at this site. The church is mainly constructed from limestone with sandstone detailing. The triangular tympanum which stands above the entrance to the church is quite ruinous and it is believed that this was dismantled and taken to Holy Cross Abbey over 200 years ago. The tympanum was said to have featured a carving of a cat with two tails, as with many of these such things it was said to have been carved by the legendary ‘An Gobán Saor’, I have heard that this carving can now be seen on top of a stone archway leading to the grounds of the Swiss Cottage nearby at Cahir. The inner arch of the Romanesque doorway is decorated with chevrons, beading, vegetal ornamentation and a variety of punch marks and motifs. Inside the church the remains of a three order chancel arch can be seen. The ground surrounding the church is very uneven and there is evidence of later church structures and also a deserted medieval settlement nearby. Interestingly the Schools collection mentions handball being played against the south wall of the church with a clay floor and clay banks on either side being used in the game, from being at the site its quite easy to see how this would have worked!
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