KILWIRRA CHURCH RUINS Co. LOUTH / NEWRYMANLOST.COM
KILWIRRA CHURCH Co. LOUTH
We paid a visit to the ruins of the beautiful Kilwirra Church tonight to get some after dark photographs and we even had the pleasure of a visit from the Garda Síochána to keep us company after a report of strange light activity from a concerned resident.
The officer’s mind was set at ease when he discovered that there wasn’t a UFO in sight but only a couple of freezing photographers making their way home.
St Mary’s Church at Templetown is situated on a small knoll surrounded by farmland, with the Cooley Mountains providing a gorgeous backdrop. The site is associated with the Knights Templar founded in 1118 by Hugh de Payens. Their main purpose was to provide protection to the many pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem. The Knights Templar probably arrived in Ireland after the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1169. The Order was endorsed by the Catholic Church and as a charity they received many gifts. They became a very wealthy organisation and are credited with having started an early form of banking. After the loss of Christian control in the Holy Land the Order was undermined and by 1314 the Order was dissolved.
