Rockstown Church is hidden away from the main road, enveloped in trees and surrounded by an 18th century wall. The church is also known as Ballynacarrig and was recorded in the ordnance survey books of the early 19th century as ‘a church, in older times was a friary, is now a ruin covered in ivy’. There is a mausoleum inserted into the west wall that is dated to 1830 erected by a John Kelly esq. However, it does appear that the church was adapted as a place of burial quite some time before that as there is a plaque and tomb built into the front elevation that is inscribed saying, “Here rests what remains of James Barry of Friarstown and his wife Anatisa 5th in descent of David Barry of same 1655”. The church is situated very close to Rockstown castle also similarly known as Ballynacarrig that was held by the Bourkes in the late 16th century. The church and graveyard are very overgrown but in some sense it enhances the peacefulness of the place.
GPS: 52.56475, -8.55578