Discover Killashee

Killashee combines striking church architecture with the Royal Canal Greenway and structures from the canal’s history. Visitors who like to include a variety of discoveries in their trip will find options here ranging from details at two churches to a 16.5-kilometre stretch of the Greenway. The location of Templeton Glebe and the nearby 43rd Lock are also among the features that characterise the town and its surroundings.

Churches with different architectural styles

Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in Killashee is a cruciform Roman Catholic church dating from 1829. Its surviving features include a cast-iron gallery railing with quatrefoil motifs and a cast-iron spiral staircase. The building thus brings together the shape of its ground plan and two specific details in iron. The church was built on land donated by the Royal Canal Company, making the Company part of its building history.

Saint Paul’s Church displays a different architectural style: it belongs to the Church of Ireland and is designed in the Gothic Revival style. It was built or rebuilt around 1837–1840. Its features include a squat, two-stage tower with corner pinnacles.

The two churches can be distinguished by their individual features: Saint Patrick’s is notable for its cruciform design and cast-iron elements, while Saint Paul’s is notable for its Gothic Revival style and tower. Saint Paul’s Church, together with its associated rectory, forms an integral part of Killashee’s built heritage. Visitors wishing to focus on architecture and local history can use these differences as themes when planning their trip, without treating the two churches as a single attraction.

The Royal Canal and the Greenway

The Royal Canal Greenway section in County Longford is 16.5 kilometres long. It runs from Longford Town through Killashee to Richmond Harbour in Clondra. These endpoints and the route provide a clear reference if you are considering including this part of the Greenway in your travel plans. The stated length applies to the entire section, not just the part through Killashee. For your own day planning, it is therefore helpful to keep this exact route in mind.

The 43rd Lock on the Royal Canal was built east of Killashee around 1815. Together with Aghnaskea Bridge and the associated lock keeper’s house, it belongs to a group of connected Royal Canal structures and to the built heritage of the Killashee area. This broadens the view of the canal’s history beyond the lock itself: a bridge and a lock keeper’s house are also part of this group of structures. The 43rd Lock thus connects a specific structure with the other named elements of the canal heritage.

Getting your bearings in the town

Templeton Glebe stands prominently at the southern end of the crossroads in the centre of Killashee. This precise location makes the building a distinctive feature of the town centre. For visitors interested in the townscape and its buildings, Templeton Glebe’s position, as well as the churches, is a useful reference point for understanding the different aspects of the town.

These themes offer different ways to focus your stay: church architecture and built heritage, the canal structures east of the town, or the longer stretch of Greenway between Longford Town and Richmond Harbour. When choosing your holiday rental, consider which of these interests matter most to your trip. Killashee offers a clear starting point for your search: the town itself, its churches and its connection to the Royal Canal take centre stage.

More places: Cloondara, Lanesborough, Mosstown, Longford, Moyne, Granard, Ballymahon, Edgeworthstown.

For the broader travel overview: County Longford.