Kilnaboy Church is located in a small village on the southern edge of the Burren with the same name. Kilnaboy (sometimes spelled Kilinaboy) means "Church of the Daughters of Baoth." The remains of 11th or 12th century church as well as a neatly-kept graveyard are quite fascinating, especially through the eyes of our guide, PJ Curtis, a local resident and author of the book "The Lightning Tree" among others. PJ's family history provided a local connection to what remains of the church and it's round tower. There is a 7,000+ year history in the Kilnaboy area, one of the first areas to be Christianized to the west of Shannon. The road that runs in front of the church is estimated to be about 3,000 years old and is thought to be one of the most haunted in Ireland.
The round tower was built sometime in the 9th or 10th century and would have stood about 120' tall (about 4 times its current size). Monks would use the tower as a place of safety from the vikings; when under attack, the monks would bring all of their writings, challices, and sacred treasures to the top and hide.
Over the south door of the church is a "Sheila-Na-Gig," also known as "The Hag with the Breasts." This figure of a woman with large breasts is thought to be a medieval fertility symbol , and women come from all over the world to pray to the symbol in the hope of increasing their own fertility.
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