Church of Assumption, Piltown.

As a rural agricultural economy, the district had no rich merchants like that of the city of Waterford and elsewhere to provide substantial sums towards the building of churches. This is why the church at Piltown was nine years in completion from 1889 to 1899. It was opened for worship in September 1899. Again contributions from the local parishioners based on their means and donations by some of them of stain glass windows, marble altar and pews funded the project. Many renovations have been effected down the years. In the 1920s the ornate mural behind the main altar and the frescoes behind the former baptismal area at back of church was completed. As with the Templeorum and Owning, Piltown is dedicated to the Blesssed Virgin under the title of Assumption. Piltown is the largest church of the three, catering for the highest density of population of the three areas which comprise the parish of Templeorum. In architectural influence it is largely Gothic, a Gothic revival style and displays a confident Roman Catholic population in the last year of the 19 th century when farmer tenants were in the process of rising out from under the yoke of landlordism and Home Rule was still in prospect. Of its time, Piltown is one of the finest churches in the diocese of Ossory.

Dedication of Piltown Church