Church of the Rath, Killeshandra The name Church of the Rath is because there was a ringfort settlement at this site dating to the early medieval period. The first record of a church on the site is from around 1390 when Augustinian monks from nearby Drumlane Abbey established a church here. The church you see today is a remodelled version built by the Hamilton family in the late 1600’s. The rebuilt church design is one of only a few Restoration period churches remaining in Ireland today and is of national architectural importance. The Jacobean style of architecture (an early phase of English Renaissance architecture) can be identified in the fine stone-carving of the windows. In 1841 a new church was built for Anglican use in Killeshandra and the Church of the Rath fell into disrepair but last year was chosen as one of five monuments for the country’s first ever ‘Adopt a Monument’ national competition by the Heritage Council.
