Kilruddery Church

Avenue leading to Kilruddery House, close to location of Cross

Buildings of Ireland website - https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/16400816/kilruddery-house-kilruddery-demesne-west-bray-wicklow

The earliest form of the name is Kilrethery, though it was also referred to as Ballinrodrach (the townland of the knight), the name Kilruddery translates to the church of the knight. Some suggest that Kilruddery comes from the Irish Cill Rothaire or Ruathaire, and Ruathaire translates to Vagrant or wanderer, and this may imply that the name comes from roving missionaries or pilgrim’s.

It is believed that Kilruddery had a church close to the site of the present Kilruddery House, though nothing is left of the church today. According to Canon Scott in his great work “The Stones of Bray” the existence of a church was confirmed, when the building of the new avenue to Kilruddery was being built and evidence of a graveyard was discovered. The bones which were found at that time were reinterred under the cross located beside the new avenue leading to the house. The church at Kilruddery was a chapelry of Stagonil later Powerscourt.