Templemichael Church is a Protestant parish church in Ballynamona Graveyard which is partially visible from the nearby N20 Cork-Mallow roadway in the townland of Ballinamona and it is a distinct landmark along the Blackwater Way (Avondhu) walking trail. The presence of a Church of Ireland church in Ballynamona is recorded as dating as far back as the 13th century when the site was developed by Ang
lo-Norman de Cogan Lords, who built Castle Barrett tower house on a nearby hill, founded a "town" on the Ballynamona site, and established a Knights Hospitaller preceptory locally. Three centuries of religious service ended at Ballynamona in 1978 when the Church was deconsecrated. Templemichael Church boasts a stone plaque over the west door which bears a Latin inscription: 'Gloria Deo in excelsis. Templum hoc antiquum de Temple-Michael alias Mourne-Abbey jam diu dirutum reconditum fuit Anno Redemptionis MDCCXVII. Et ab inauguratione serenissimi Georgii Domini Regis tertio'. The inscription translates as follows: 'Glory be to God in the highest. This ancient church of Temple-Michael, alias Mourne-Abbey, was restored in the 1,717th year of the redemption and the third year since the inauguration of our most serene Lord King George'. The inscription concludes with a final line in English: 'Fear God, honour the King'. The church has a rectangular nave (13m E-W; 8m N-S) with a 3-stage pinnacled tower attached at west end and a shallow semi-circular apse at east end. The nave is lit by three windows in both the north and south walls: wooden frames with two lights in round-headed embrasure, and a similar window in apse. The plain interior is covered by a barrel-vaulted plastered ceiling. A number of gravestones dating back to the 17th century are located alongside the church. According to Fitzgerald (1917-20, 163) the former Church of Ireland graveyard is also 'thickly studded with headstones belonging to Roman Catholics'. The above information is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997) and Bill Power's "Mourneabbey Church: A Brief History" in Mallow Field Club Journal, Volume 18, 2000, pp. 104-112.
