Affane Church, County Waterford, Ireland, December 2019

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HughieD

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1. The History
Affane, meaning "Central Ford", is a small village in west County Waterford, Ireland. Here can be found the ruins of a Church of Ireland church, located within a graveyard. The parish church of Affane, listed as Athmethan and valued at over £6 in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-1306) was located south of the ruins. By the mid-16th century it had been united with the church of Dungarvan, but in a visitation of 1588 it was in the Deanery of Ardmore. Earlier, in 1564, it was the scene of a battle between the Earls of Desmond and Ormonde, the latter defeated with the loss of 280 of his men.

The church ruins can be found on the North side of the Cappoquin-Aglish road, two miles South from Cappoquin. It dates back from 1819 and in historical records from 1837, describe the church as “a neat building” built by the late Board of First Fruits using a loan of £500. It was built to a very simple design with a single-bay three-stage entrance tower on its west side. The Board of First Fruits was an institution set up to build and improve churches throughout Ireland in the 18th and early part of the 19th century. The graveyard has a large number of graves that mostly date back from between 1820 and 1920 and indicate there was a large Protestant community in the local area around this time.

2. The Explore
A very easy and relaxing explore on a pretty dull December morning. Not too much to say about it really. Affane House is nearby. On returning back to the UK saw some pictures of the aforementioned house and wished I’d made the effort to have a look at it now.

3. The Pictures

The church tower:

49337048717_bce0d5686f_b.jpgAffane 03 by HughieDW, on Flickr

49336361143_6f33703632_b.jpgAffane 07 by HughieDW, on Flickr

49336827891_87af0542eb_b.jpgAffane 05 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A view up the tower:

49336227353_45a56bd100_b.jpgimg4886 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The main worshiping area. Small but atmospheric:

49337048272_f3704572c3_b.jpgAffane 04 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A little fireplace left high and dry:

49336916462_f5f48c945f_b.jpgimg4884 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Close-up of the main picture window:

49336700721_9a0b2d394c_b.jpgimg4880 by HughieDW, on Flickr

49336691346_49e3a24e11_b.jpgimg4890bw by HughieDW, on Flickr

Main window from the outside:

49336826406_3f8f5e6f50_b.jpgAffane 08 by HughieDW, on Flickr

49336908142_16959a4b30_b.jpgimg4892 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And on to the graveyard, most of which has been reclaimed by nature:

49336829176_2152668c17_b.jpgAffane 02 by HughieDW, on Flickr

49336926042_57fc2b035d_b.jpgimg4876 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This grave in the foreground caught my eye:

49336220628_c5a04a315c_b.jpgimg4896 by HughieDW, on Flickr

On closer examination it has this rather unusual lead dedication plate, dedicated to the memory of Catherine Nugent:

49337046027_579f36b0f8_b.jpgAffane 09 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The gates of Affane House which I’d wished I’d further investigated now!

49336825801_08f3e5e214_b.jpgAffane 10 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A few more miles down the road is the church of Kilmolash, ruins of a multi-period church surrounded by a D-shaped graveyard. Parts date back to the late medieval period while others are as early as the 12th century:

49336219448_ec52d9f703_b.jpgimg4900 by HughieDW, on Flickr

49336904742_8a3399cb92_b.jpgimg4901 by HughieDW, on Flickr
 
For information. The occupant of the modern house at the entrance track leading to the old Affane House (who I presume is the landowner) denies access on the grounds of (quote) '...it's the rule around here.' (!). It is my experience that it is a 'rule' that fortunately is rarely applied in Ireland, but sadly this place is the exception.
 
For information. The occupant of the modern house at the entrance track leading to the old Affane House (who I presume is the landowner) denies access on the grounds of (quote) '...it's the rule around here.' (!). It is my experience that it is a 'rule' that fortunately is rarely applied in Ireland, but sadly this place is the exception.
As far as I can see they cannot stop you visiting the church, you go through the gate or hop over the stile

Clipboard01.jpg
to the churchyard
 
Wonder if Kathleen Nugent died of the Spanish Flu...
The first number of her age is not clear, but it looks to be a 7, rather than a 1. If so, it was probably old age. Since she died in on 19th April, that was just over a month after St Patrick's Day, when there would have been many communal gatherings at which any illnesses could have been passed on to others, including the Spanish Flu. She could have caught it, and - as with Covid - it might have contributed to her death.
 

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