Ireland’s Jumping Church

Have you heard about Ireland’s Jumping Church? 

One of the Boyne Valley’s most puzzling mysteries can be found just 4km south of Ardee in Millockstown, County Louth in Ireland’s Ancient East. These picturesque ruins are set against the backdrop of Carlingford and the Mourne Mountains. The history of the church dates back to the 14th century but it wasn’t until 1715 that this sacred place became shrouded in mystery.

Some of the theories…

The Kildemock Jumping Church is a fascinating religious ruin – According to local legend an excommunicated man was buried within the ruins of the church walls. The next day the highest standing wall of the ruined church had jumped inward by 3 feet or so to exclude the man’s body.

Other accounts claim that a severe storm picked the wall clean from its foundation and laid it to rest inside the church.

There are even some who point to the work of local pranksters. The cynical mind is tempted to surmise that pranksters were at work on that fateful day when the Kildemock legend was born. But even today’s skilled architects, with all their crews of qualified craftsmen, would struggle to carry out such a meticulous job so proficiently, let alone comparatively uneducated tricksters in rural Louth in 1715!

Here is a short video from itsmyireland to check out the Jumping Church from afar and to see if you can come up with your own theory for this mystery…

Whatever you choose to believe the gable wall of the “Jumping Church” stands 19 feet high, 15 feet wide and 3 feet thick resting 3 feet from its foundation, and offers visitors a mysterious sight!

Jump into a new adventure? 

Note: Featured image at the top of the blog is of the Jumping Church Kildemock © Tourism Ireland & Chris Hill