Kilcloon: Churches, Playground and Historic Sites

If you’re looking for a hotel in Kilcloon, specific points of interest can help you choose where to stay: the parish church, the history of former churches and historic sites in the surrounding area. Another point of interest is the Kilcloon Community Playground, whose design offers a different focus. For a broader historical perspective, these local sites can be distinguished from attractions in the wider destination of County Meath.

Churches and historic traces in Kilcloon

Kilcloon Parish includes the Church of St. Oliver Plunkett in Kilcloon. The parish church is located at Ballynare Cross Roads in the village. The old church of Kilclone was converted into a parish school in 1832. According to local tradition, Kilcloon’s original chapel or church stood at the site now called Churchyard. These references span a named parish church, a former use as a school and a place name preserved in historical tradition.

The Kilcloon Community Playground

The Kilcloon Community Playground was officially opened on 18 March 2024. It is accessible to people with different abilities; its design takes people with disabilities into account and is sensory-friendly as well as autism-friendly. This sets its design focus apart from the area’s ecclesiastical and archaeological themes. Check the current terms of use before visiting.

Historic sites in the surrounding area

Nearby historic sites differ in their architecture, use and dates. Moygaddy Tower House survives as a three-storey tower house and was conserved in 1892. It was associated with the lordship of the Manor of Moyglare.

St. Brigid’s Well is located in the townland of Calgath. The surrounding area is also called Bridestream, after the stream that flows from the spring. In the Jubilee Year 2000, the Kilcloon Millennium Committee restored the well with the landowner’s support.

Rodanstown Motte is an ancient rath, or ringfort, located about 500 metres northeast of the ruins of Rodanstown Church. It is thought to date from 400 to 1100 AD; it may also date back as far as the Iron Age. Rodanstown Church was built on the site of the old church of St. Rodan. During the Reformation, it was dissolved in 1540, when the townland was called Balraden. Gravestones in Rodanstown Cemetery date from the early 12th to the mid-18th century, with a few more recent ones from the mid- to late 20th century.

Mulhussey Castle offers a different historical perspective: it was developed and extended in the 18th century and is now an ivy-covered ruin.

Archaeological sites in County Meath

The wider destination of County Meath offers another archaeological comparison. Brú na Bóinne lies in a bend of the River Boyne and includes the passage tombs of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth, built around 3200 BC. Loughcrew Megalithic Cemetery is a group of Neolithic passage tombs dating to around 3000 BC; the site extends across four gently rolling ridges. These approximate dates mark two different periods: the Brú na Bóinne tombs mentioned above are dated to around two centuries earlier than the Loughcrew group.

Discover more destinations: Kells, Mullaghmore, Kilmessan, Julianstown, Rathmolyon, Donaghmore, Enfield, An Seanchaisleán

For the wider travel overview: County Meath.