12. Templenascreen

 

This place name literally means ‘the Church of the Shrine’, the shrine in question is that to Saint Jarlath and is the place where his bones were kept. It was a place of pilgrimage in the twelfth century. Probably built in 1172, it was burnt in 1244, but survived until after 1574.[1] Its stone was taken sometime after 1720. The road running by it was called Bothair na Scrine and over time this changed to Bothair na Greine, the translation of which is ‘Sun Street’ as the road is known today. The plaque records a very interesting story.[2]

[2] J.A. Claffey, Irish historic towns atlas no. 20, (Dublin, 2009), p12