Westropp — Ancient Churches in Co, Limerick. 459 



retains a plain, small, and rather flimsy tower, attached to the north 

 wall of the residence near its junction with the nave. 



To complete our list we must name the towers of the Limerick 

 churches : — that of the Franciscan House at the west end ; of the 

 Dominican House, in the middle of the church ; and belfry towers of 

 the churches of St. Munchin, St. Nicholas, St. John, and St. Michael 

 are shown in the same map, c. 1595, in the Hardiman collection.^ 



Windows and Doors. — The fine three-light windows of Abbey- 

 owney and Monasteranenagh have been destroyed, and most of 

 the Cathedral windows rebuilt. Of the later twelfth aud earlier 

 thirteenth centuries we find various round-headed lights in the two 

 latter buildings ; the east window of Shanagolden church is pointed, 

 but of the transitional period in its mouldings and capitals. Old 

 Abbey has some fine features of the period about 1250 ; Kilmallock, 

 of the end of the century, such as the magnificent five-light window 

 •of the Dominican church. 



In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the plain window, with 

 interlacing shafts, and with no cusps or heading ])ieces, is common 

 and is often of very pleasing effect. It occurs at Kilmallock, Adare 

 (Black and Franciscan " Abbeys "), Askeaton, and less pleasing 

 examples at Rathkeale, Mahoonagh, and the Cathedral. A beautiful 

 reticulated traceried window is found in the south transept of the 

 Dominican House, Kilmallock; and a rather conventional perpendicular 

 window in the south wall of the Cathedral. 



Windows with cusped "decorated tracery" are, I think, only 

 found at Askeaton, in the Franciscan Church, and (strange to say) the 

 Eanqueting-Hall in the Castle. 



In the smaller churches the fifteenth-century features are as usual 

 narrow, single, or double lights, with pointed, round, ogee, or trefoil 

 heads, or a single light with two round heads meeting in a cusp in the 

 middle. The hood mouldings are angular, with, as a rule, recessed 

 spandrels. The doors are usually very plain, pointed or round, rarely 

 moulded. In some cases crockets spring from the hoods or (as at 

 Dunmoylan) roses are carved in a hollow moulding. 



Cloister Arcades. — These not very common features are repre- 

 sented among the Limerick convents at Askeaton, the Black and 

 Franciscan Abbeys of Adare. ^ Askeaton has the fine, "uniformly 

 varying" sets of capitals and bases, some varied with nail-head enrich- 



1 Plate XII. 



3 Plate XI. 



