INCH
The Irish name Inch Mo Cholm Og has been shortened to Inis. Inis means an area of high ground. It was at Inch that St Colam otherwise Mon –Colm -Og , reputedly affected by leprosy sought seclusion around 490 Ad. He has a reputation for holiness and this led to the establishment of a Church. This church became the site of the medieval church of Inch. It is in the diocese of Glendalough. The present Church of Ireland was built in 1832.. O Donovan in the Ordinance Survey letters says that the name “Inch is a corruption of the Irish word inis or inse, which generally signifies an island, but which is used in Leinster to express the holm of a river, in which latter sense it is applicable to the situation of this Parish, which stands on a spot of ground nearly surrounded by a stream. There are no ancient remains in this Parish: the site of the old church is occupied by the modern one.
This church became the site of the medieval church of Inch. It is more than likely that there been churches on this site since that time. The Parish of Inch is mentioned in 1413 in correspondence e to the Archbishop of Dublin, concerning the appointment of its rector the time. Again it is mentioned in the “Royal Visitation” document of 1615, but no description of the actual church is given. An Episcopal visitation in 1630 gives the following description “The church of Inch is ruinous, but the chauncell is in good repair. Only it wants good ornaments” It is in the diocese of Glendalough. The present Church of Ireland was built in 1832. Among the unique features of this church is a baptismal font and Memorial window to the very old Irish family of The Morchoe who gave the land upon which St Aidan built his first church in the 6h century. In `1690 Inch Church was the scene of a skirmish between the forces of William the third and James the second. The churchyard at Inch contains eighteenth century Catholic memorials, as that time shared use of cemeteries was not unusual.