The scant remains of this small 15th century church dedicated to the Virgin Mary were at one stage the parish church of Rosslare. It is situated midway between Rosslare Strand and Tagoat. The church is completely dilapidated which is understandable considering its proximity to the sea and its exposed nature, this is in stark contrast to the description by John O’Donovan in 1840 who described the chancel as surviving ‘almost complete to the roof level’, at that time the double belfry was also intact. O’Donovan does state that the walls are ‘clay-bonded’ which could help explain the level of damage to the structure. The graveyard itself is pentagonal in shape and is believed to contain the remains of John and Mary Barry (née Kelly), parents of Commodore John Barry (1745-1803) who is known as the ‘Father of the United States Navy’. Barry was born at Ballysampson, a short distance from the graveyard. Like much of the local area at that time he spoke the unusual regional language known as Yola, a derivative of old English that was spoken in many parts of Wexford from the middle ages until it went extinct in the late 19th century. The Barry family was evicted from the family home by their Anglo-Irish landlord during the 1750s and moved to Rosslare where John Barry decided to become a seaman. In 1760, at the age of 15, he moved to America. He became a captain in the Continental Navy on Dec 7th 1775 and after the Revolutionary War became the first commissioned American naval officer, at the rank of commodore, receiving his commission from US President George Washington in 1797. Though the remains of the church are incredibly ruinous I do think this part of Wexford is a lovely area to drive around and due to the historical links to John Barry this small church is well signposted.
GPS: 52.25634, -6.38877