St Mary’s Church, Bannow

St Mary’s Church, Bannow

Features

St Mary’s Church Bannow is a windswept, ruined medieval church on County Wexford’s south coast.

The church ruins may be an ideal filming location for scenes that need a desolate religious ruin or for scenes that need a particularly ancient church. Only the skeleton of the nave and chancel of the crumbling stone church still exist. The top of its remaining walls are crenellated, meaning that when this church was built, it was meant to act as a defensive structure against attack. The interior of the church contains more graves. Exquisite stone carvings can also be found inside the interior.

Facing the Celtic sea on two sides, the church is a stark location on the Bannow headland. Around the ruin is a operational graveyard, and from this graveyard, there are sweeping views of the ocean.

The church was built in the 13th century. The location has strong connections to the Normans. As well as being built by them, the nearby beach, Bannow Bay Beach, is where they first landed in Ireland. Also, a large medieval Norman town once existed on the headland, but there are no signs left of this town, except the windswept ruins.

More Info

Near Carrick, 5km away.

Parking: Carpark fits 10-15 cars.

Nearest town: New Ross, 33km away.

Photographer: Gordon Wycherly