O'Hanlon — Antiquities in Killenny and Kinteale Parishes. 147 



is a deep fissure in the limestone rock, which admits a person to walk 

 into it on the level, for a distance of over thirty feet. Then it sinks 

 from ahout six to eight feet, and opens into a large cavern of irregular 

 outline, and of considerahle altitude. The country people call this 

 cave "Poul-is-toul," said to mean " The hole in the hilly ]STo further 

 tradition is known regarding it, except a popular rumour of its heing 

 a place for fairy ingress and egress. 



KILTEALE PAKISH 



lies to the south of Killenny, and is situated partly within the barony 

 of Maryborough East (1991a. 2k. 12p.), and partly within the barony 

 of Stradbally (1561a. 3k. 34p.). See Ordnance Survey Townland 

 Maps, Sheets 13 and 14. The townslands noticed within it are Kil- 

 murry, Ballythomas, Carrigeen, Ballymaddock, Kilteale, Ballinlough, 

 Ballycarroll, Baheen, Baheenahoran, with the Heath House and 

 Demesne, as also the greater portion of the Great Heath of Mary- 

 borough.* 



Among the parish names in Ireland, we can only discover three, — 

 Kiltale, in Meath, Kilteel, in the County Kildare, and Kilteal, 

 in the Queen's County, — having a very close resemblance in spell- 

 ing and pronunciation. Within the townland of Kilteale proper, 

 in the Queen's county, the old church and burial ground are situated, 

 beside an ancient road, leading towards the rock and ruined fortress 

 of Dunamase.f 



The church is greatly decayed, as the east gable only stands, with 

 some portions of the side- walls near it. The dimensions of the in- 

 terior seem to have been thirty-six feet in length, by twenty feet in 

 breath ; the walls were nearly three feet in thickness. In the nor- 

 thern side- wall a narrow, rude window yet remains ; and it measures 

 three feet in length, by one foot in width on the outside, while it 

 opens to greater dimensions, being splayed interiorly. The corres- 

 ponding part of the south wall, opposite this window, is destroyed. 

 Traces of plaster appear on the interior walls. In the gable remain- 

 ing there is a large rent or opening near the ground, and at a short 

 distance over it there is a narrow window, three feet in length, by 

 one foot in breadth, while it is more widely splayed on the inside. 

 So far as a conjecture may now be hazarded, a choir-arch seems to 

 have turned over the lower opening, and under the top window ; but 

 by some more recent adaptation, much of the space appears to have 

 been closed with masonry. Another narrow doorway then seems to 



* On the northern line of the parish boundary, and nearly about the centre of 

 the Great Heath, there is a large and an elevated circular entrenchment, called 

 Eathshean. It is remarkable, that on an adjoining townland, but within the 

 parish of Straboe, the old ruined Castle of Shaen, within the demesne, and near 

 the modern mansion of Shaen, may yet be seen. Hence the townland's name. 



t From Cromwell's lines, on the opposite hill of Kilteale, and shown on the 

 map, this fortification received its last " pummelling." 



R. T. A IROC. VOL. I., SER. II., POL. LIT. AND ANTIQ. Y 



