Killanne Church and most of the surrounding area sits on soils laid down by glaciers as they travelled across this landscape. These soil deposits, known as glacial till, are widespread here, and are composed of materials that were moved by the glaciers and then dropped by the ice as it melts. Glacial deposits impact the types of soils that form and modify the routes that rivers take across the landscape, strongly influencing what crops will grow and where humans can live.
To understand this smooth landscape with rolling hillsides, we must picture an area that was once covered by massive ice blocks. These slow moving, heavy glaciers polished and reshaped the landscape while depositing soils that contained a mixture of materials and minerals. The fertility of the soil is determined by that mixture, and this combination of minerals and different sized rocks and grains create tiny gaps in the soil that allow water to pass through easily. These factors combine to create soils that are excellent for the growth of grass and crops.
In the walls of the church, you can find the different types of rocks that were used to build it, such as the white or yellow-coloured granites or the examples of metamorphic rocks, schist and slate. Killanne is also home to St. Anne’s Well, a site of spiritual and cultural importance. The well draws groundwater up from the bedrock below.