This vanished monastic settlement, locally known as “Church Meadow,” was traditionally believed to be the site of St. Brecin’s monastery, which once included a round tower, church, and cemetery. The site offers a sobering example of how completely medieval monuments can disappear within living memory.

According to historian Davies, traces of both the church and round tower were still visible as late as 1948, along with various archaeological artifacts including cut stones, querns (hand mills for grinding grain), and a large lump of iron slag that may have been a furnace bottom. These finds suggest an active monastic community engaged in both religious and practical activities, including metalworking.

The most significant surviving connection to the site may be the “Tomregan Stone”—a carved medieval stone now located at the Church of Ireland chapel in nearby Ballyconnell village. Local tradition holds that this stone originally came from the Church Meadow site, potentially representing the only surviving fragment of St. Brecin’s monastery.

The complete disappearance of all surface traces within just a few decades after 1948 illustrates how quickly archaeological sites can be lost to modern agricultural practices, development, or neglect. What was once a visible reminder of early Irish Christianity—with its characteristic round tower marking the site from a distance; has been reduced to a field name and local memory.

The site serves as an important reminder that many of Ireland’s early ecclesiastical settlements have vanished entirely, leaving only place names, folklore, and occasionally relocated artifacts as evidence of their former existence.