Below 2 Images: The Austin Cooper Mausoleum
This small medieval church stands in a grassy graveyard on a
back road en route to Portmarnock. It is dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra and
is thought to have been in use until the 17th century. At one time
this church would have stood closer to the sea but the coast land has extended
over the centuries leaving the ruins now further inland.
The ruins are accessed by a roadside gate or by a stile in
the boundary wall and the ground within is a little uneven underfoot in places. What remains today are the nave, a chancel
arch and a tall West gable sporting a twin arched belfry. Within the ruins on
the East end is a mausoleum with the remains interred within of the prominent
antiquarian & artist Austin Cooper (1759-1830) former owner of Abbeville
House in Kinsealy. There is an entrance door in the South facing wall of the
Church and a Chancel arch on the East end. It is a plain looking ruin but in a
picturesque semi-rural setting which may not be the case much longer as
developments are planned for the area around it. Hopefully they won’t encroach
too much. I would hate to see the ruin becoming an ornament in grounds of some
gated estate.
To find the ruins take the exit for the R139 at the Junction
3 exit of the M50. Continue on through the following roundabout until you reach
the crossroads with the R107. Turn left at the crossroads and drive for approx.
3KM until you reach a right hand turn at Chapel Lane. It is identified by a
whitewashed Church on your right at the junction. Turn down chapel lane and
drive for approx. 400m until you spot the ruins in a field on your left. You
can park safely enough on the left just at a gate in the South east corner of
the boundary wall.
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