Killeshin Church

Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny


One of the tallest round towers in Ireland once dominated this former monastery, but it was destroyed early in the 18th century by a farmer worried that it might collapse and kill his cows. The ruins of a 12th-century church remain, including the beautifully decorated Romanesque doorway; look for the bearded face on the capstone. The church is 4.5km northwest of Carlow town.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny attractions

1. Carlow Castle

2.68 MILES

Built by William Marshal on the site of an earlier Norman motte-and-bailey fort, this 13-century castle survived Cromwell's attentions. Much of the…

2. Visual Centre for Contemporary Art

2.97 MILES

British architect Terry Pawson was behind the factory-inspired industrial design of this concrete, steel-and-glass cultural centre, which is a…

3. Carlow Cathedral

3 MILES

This elegant Regency Gothic cathedral dating from 1833 was the brainchild of Bishop James Doyle, a staunch supporter of Catholic emancipation. On the…

4. Carlow County Museum

3 MILES

Housed in an atmospheric former convent with original stained-glass windows, this thoroughly engaging museum focuses on the lives of local people through…

5. Delta Sensory Gardens

3.01 MILES

These 16 interconnecting, themed gardens span the five senses – from a sculpture garden to a formal rose garden, a water and woodland garden, a willow…

6. Browne's Hill Dolmen

4.93 MILES

This 5000-year-old granite portal dolmen (tomb chamber) is one of Ireland's most famous prehistoric monuments, sporting the largest capstone in Europe (it…

7. Duckett's Grove

7.78 MILES

Dominated by the jackdaw-haunted ruins of a Gothic fantasy of a country house, the former seat of the Duckett family (the house burned down in 1933) was…

8. Castledermot Monastery

7.92 MILES

Castledermot village was once home to a vast ecclesiastical settlement, but all that remains of St Diarmuid's 9th-century monastery is a 20m round tower…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "ireland/county-carlow/attractions/killeshin-church/a/poi-sig/1216633/359583",
      "destination": "Counties-Wexford,-Waterford,-Carlow-&-Kilkenny",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Ireland",
      "region": "Counties-Wexford,-Waterford,-Carlow-&-Kilkenny",
      "position": "superzone"
    }