St Anne

St Anne’s, built in 1802, is simple rectangular church, with tower and steeple, chancel and vestry. The original wooden spire was blown down during a storm in 1839 as replaced by the present octagonal granite structure in 1876. The chancel was added circa 1900 and the vestry was built in 1932. The wooden pulpit dates to 1876. There is a gallery at the western end of the nave which is entered through the tower. The nave is plain and unpretentious with no windows on its northern side, and is lit by four Y-tracerised, and lattice-paned gothic windows in its southern wall.

The walls are unadorned with memorials with the exception of for plain brass plaque commemorating Ralph Parkinson-Cumine who died in the Korean War in 1950. The chancel contains a fine organ with an outshot. The eastern triple lancet window displays simple decoration comprising of the Alpha and Omega symbols, representing title for God in the Book of Revelation, and three small depictions of the vine, representing the Communion.

The church replaces and earlier church dating to 1716 built by Sir Robert Ward of Castle Ward. It was originally as a chapel of ease for the parish of Rathmullen and Killough was only established as a separate parish in the late nineteenth century. The present church was built with a bequest of £200 from the Vicar of Rathmullen, Rev James Hamilton (1722-97). The church is dedicated to Saint Anne who was said to be the patron saint of sailors, and a protector in storms. This is a fitting dedication as Killough was established as the port for the Castle Ward estate.

The church is the focal point and architecturally the most impressive building in the village. It is highly visible from all approaches and formerly provided a navigational mark for sailing boats seeking the safety of the harbour. The churchyard contains the burials of many sailors shipwrecked along the nearby coast and there is a headstone to the Menapia of Waterford which sank at St John’s Point in December 1836 with loss of all on board.