Situated only three kilometres south east of Limerick City stands the unusual and small medieval church known as Donoughmore. There are a plethora of churches named Donoughmore or Donaghmore throughout Ireland, the name derives from the Irish for Sunday ‘Domhnach’ and all of these are usually linked in legend to St Patrick, Sunday being the day that he always marked out the foundations. The date of construction is unknown but J Begley writing in 1906 in ‘The Diocese of Limerick Ancient and Medieval’ said it retained ‘all the characteristics of the primitive Irish church’ The Antiquarian TJ Westropp wrote in 1904 that in the ‘Tripartite Life of St Patrick’ a book that dates to some point between the 9^th or 12^th centuries that Patrick, “baptised the men of Thomond at Domnach mor Maige Aine, at Tirglas, in the east of the present County Limerick. It appears as Donaghmor and Douenathmor, 1200 and 1201”. It is recorded as passing under the control of a variety of Bishops from the 13^th to the mid 16^th century. It is uncertain when it fell into ruin but Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland 1837 describes it as, “The ruins of the ancient parish church are extensive and venerably picturesque, consisting of the walls and gables, which are tolerably entire and covered with ivy”. The west door of the church is a truly impressive sight with a large lintel and inclined jambs. The graveyard is still in use and considering the age of the site must hold an untold amount of ancient and unmarked graves.

GPS: 52.63464, -8.58591