Treasures of Kilteel

One hundred years ago members of the Royal Society of Antiquarians of Ireland, visiting Kilteel Castle in Kildare, noticed a number of sculptured stones that formed part of a fireplace in a deserted cottage. On examining these undoubted remains from the 11th century, they looked to the ruin of a nearby early church to see if there was a connection.  

They discovered the stones had been part of a doorway of the church, the only Romanesque chancel arch in Ireland that has figures sculpture. Despite efforts to reassemble the full doorway gaps remain but there is still enough to fascinate.

The figures shown are familiar but the way they are shown is not. Adam and Eve and the tree are there but Adam is wearing a hat.   

David and Goliath are present, David (not very young looking) is walking along with a stick over his shoulder on which is the head of Goliath, a trophy head.   

Someone is doing what looks like a summersault, maybe a jester or acrobat though (seeing it is in a church) some think it is Salome doing her dance!

Then there are two men with helmets who may be embracing but some say they are wresting while others claim that it is Jacob grappling with the angel as in the Book of Genesis.

There is a seated figure with his head back either drinking from a vessel or blowing a horn.

A dignified abbot or bishop stands with his staff of office.  Who is he?

If you want to see these remarkably scenes and speculate on what has been lost, you need to be a very determined person.

It is hard to get near the ancient church as it is in the middle of a field with formidable outer defences.

If you do get in you will have trouble finding the stones in the overgrown ruin and it is hard to decipher the obscured figures.

I was able to get the above descriptions because I came across an excellent article by Dr HG Leask, the first Inspector of Irish Monuments. (The office was established in 1923, shortly after Independence when there was still pride in the national history.)

However it is well worth taking a trip to Kilteel, the ‘highest village n Kildare’, at the foot of the Wicklow mountains. The castle was a preceptory (fortified monastery) of the Knights Hospitallers, part of the Norman defences of Dublin. It is still in excellent condition though not occupied or open to the public.

The Irish name of Kilteel is Cill Chéile or Cell of Chéile, a hermit for many years until he was reluctantly made Bishop of Leinster. He died in 728. Excavations indicated the first church was a single-cell stone building built after 800 AD.