I Was Able The Luas Tram From Lehaunstown Road

I Was Able The Luas Tram From Lehaunstown Road, originally uploaded by infomatique.

A Walk In The Country - Laughanstown, Tully Church And Burial Ground


I am in the process of extending my coverage of the area surrounding Dublin so today I got the Luas tram to the Laughanstown Luas stop which appears to be located in the middle on nowhere. I then followed a narrow old country road which brought me to Tully Church and Graveyard which I had never seen before.

Cabinteely sits at the meeting point of the three medieval civil parishes of Tully, Kill and Killiney, in the half-barony of Rathdown. The ruins of Kill Abbey/Grange Church are near Deansgrange. The modern suburb of Cabinteely is still split between these civil parishes. The ruined 9th century Tully Church and graveyard lies within the modern parish of Cabinteely at Laughanstown. Two high crosses from the 12th century stand in nearby fields, and a wedge tomb, all protected as National Monuments. I could not find the wedge tomb but I will try again at a later date.


Tully church and crosses situated in Laughanstown have had an association with St Bridget who died in 523 AD.

Located in the field across the road from the church is a tall slender cross believed to be of the 12th/13th century. The east face of the cross bears an ecclesiastic figure that looks like a bishop but some claim that it may be a female figure and believe it to be of St Bridget, but due to weathering it is impossible to tell. One face bears a head/mask which is badly weathered. Access is over a wooden stile across from the church and there is no signs indicating that it is there and I only discovered because I saw a woman with five or six dogs entering the field (she was a professional dog-walker).

The date of construction of the church at Tully is not known, but it may be from the ninth century or earlier and is thought to be of Viking origin. The unusually larger chancel was added to the nave during the early 13th century and has a rounded arch and two rounded headed east windows.

At the side of the road, just before the church, there is the small plain ringed cross. This cross was saved from destruction by James Grehan in the later part of the nineteenth century. The road next to the cross was being lowered and James Grehan had a small wall built and the cross placed upon it at it's original height.