The church at Cruagh (read page 2 in the book to read more), built around 450 AD, was probably founded by Molua, a 5th century saint. By 1615, we are told that that the church is being served by the vicar of Tallaght. Turbulent times in Ireland and the eventual union of parishes led to it's falling into lay hands and finally disuse, and by 1702 a list states that Cruagh no longer had a church. Soon after, around 1720, stones from the church were probably used in the construction of the watchtower, which is built partly on the site of the church. The writer John O'Hanlon found the ruins of the church in the 1870's.
The few fragments of the church that still survive show that the nave was 39’ 4” long and the walls 2’ 8” thick. One jamb of the chancel arch is still standing but the chancel itself and both side walls of the nave have disappeared. It is likely to look similar to the oratory at Killaloe, which St Molua also built around the same time. The church was drawn in a 1655 map of Newcastle which gives us a slight idea of the appearance of the church, 14 centuries after it was built. The drawing on the left is an estimate of the inside of the church in the 17th century.
The few fragments of the church that still survive show that the nave was 39’ 4” long and the walls 2’ 8” thick. One jamb of the chancel arch is still standing but the chancel itself and both side walls of the nave have disappeared. It is likely to look similar to the oratory at Killaloe, which St Molua also built around the same time. The church was drawn in a 1655 map of Newcastle which gives us a slight idea of the appearance of the church, 14 centuries after it was built. The drawing on the left is an estimate of the inside of the church in the 17th century.