The Bottom Line
Pros
- Rare relics of Templar history in Ireland.
- Picturesque (later) church ruin.
- A good place to stop for food.
Cons
- Not really a breath-taking experience for most people.
Description
- Templar graves can be identified in the churchyard by their typical design.
- Medieval remains are mainly of later Hospitaller origin with a 19th century church added on.
- Nonetheless Templetown provides one of the few tangible traces of Templar history in Ireland.
Guide Review - Templetown (County Wexford)
Templetown has received its name from the Kinights Templar, a brotherhood of monastic warriors originating during the crusades in the Holy Land. When the Anglo-Normans under Strongbow added Ireland to their property portfolio the military orders soon followed. Henry II of England swore to provide for 200 Templars after the murder of St. Thomas a Beckett - and in 1172 gave away wide stretches of Ireland to fulfil this promise. The Manor of Kilcloggan, basically the whole southern end of the Hook Peninsula, fell to the order.
Today only few remains of their church in Templetown are visible (the impressive tower is a later construction, the church even from the 19th century). But the churchyard holds a graveslab with a cross and the agnus dei (Lamb of God), typical for a Templar grave.
Ever since the Templars were arrested on (mainly) trumped-up charges in 1307 their possessions here were in care of the Hospitallers, their rival order of the Knights of St. John. Only the name remained - Templetown.
As said before: Templetown is a very low-key attraction best taken in after a meal at the "Templars Inn" nearby.
