Aghowle Church 1.71

Aghowle Church is a medieval church and National Monument in County Wicklow, Ireland.LocationAghowle Church is located 1.7km southwest of Coolkenno, near some tributaries of the River Derreen.HistoryIt is claimed that a monastery was founded on the site by Finnian of Clonard in the 6th century. They lived in Clocháin (beehive huts) around a wooden church The placename derives from the Irish for "field of apple trees." The present church dates to c. 1100 and was in use by the Church of Ireland until 1716–17.Local legend tells of a "fugitive bell": apparently St Finnian erected a belfry at Aghowle, but later moved the bell to his other monastery at Clonard. One day it vanished and reappeared at Aghowle, and, despite several attempts at removing it, the bell kept on returning to Aghowle.ChurchThe church is a long rectangular building with high gables of which the original north, east and west walls survive. The west doorway is lintelled on the outside and arched inside. It has Romanesque moulding on the outside and a draw-bar socket. Two round-headed windows in the east wall have hood mouldings on the outside supported by pillars.