St Olcan's RC Church, 160 Glenshesk Road, Armoy, Ballymoney, County Antrim

St Olcan's RC Church is a small, single-storey Roman Catholic church situated on the south side of Glenshesk Road, roughly one and a half miles east of Armoy in County Antrim, surrounded by a graveyard enclosed by rendered walls.

The church dates from the pre-1830 period, possibly mid to later 18th century, though it could conceivably date from the 1770s when the relaxation of the Penal Laws witnessed the building of many Roman Catholic chapels. It is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1832 and recorded in the valuation of 1834 as an old structure, with the OS Memoirs of 1835 also referring to it as 'an old building'. The original building consisted of the main rectangular section, measuring 74 feet by 24 feet by 10 feet according to the 1834 valuation, and was described as 'not comfortable internally' and in 'middling repair'. A vestry section to the southwest was added subsequently, shown on the revised OS map.

The church as seen today appears largely to be the result of a renovation undertaken in 1921-23, commemorated in a panel inside the building. Though relatively modest externally, the church contains some rich internal detailing including mosaic walling and finely carved wainscoting, much of which was added during this renovation.

The building is basically a long rectangular gabled structure with a small central gabled porch to the north side and a somewhat larger gabled vestry extension to the southwest. There is also a lean-to extension and outside staircase (which incorporates a porch) to the east gable. The building is finished in recent-looking lined unpainted cement render with a painted bevelled base course, raised in-out quoins, and decorative rendered verges. The roof of the main section is slated, as are those of the porch and vestry. All sections have rendered parapets with gabled ends and decorative iron crests to the ridges.

The windows are largely uniform with pointed-arch heads and moulded drip stones. Most openings have recent decorative metal security grills. The main entrance is to the east face of the porch on the north side, consisting of a broad flat-arch doorway with panelled timber double doors. To the north façade of the main section, either side of the porch, there are three relatively tall, evenly-spaced windows. To the east gable there is a lean-to boiler house extension with a small flat-arch window to its east face and a flat-arch doorway with timber door to its south face. To the right (north) side of the boiler house, an outside stair rises against the main gable with rails in similar style to the security grills. This stair incorporates a porch with a semicircular-headed door opening with partly glazed timber door. The stair leads to an upper level doorway set into a pointed-arch opening (which may originally have been a window), with a similar timber door.

To the left-hand side of the south elevation is the gabled vestry projection. To its south (gabled) face there is a small flat-roofed porch extension with a flat-arch doorway to its east face with timber-sheeted door. A small window is set into the west face. The porch extension has a castellated parapet. To the west face of the vestry projection there are two windows, with a slightly smaller flat-arch window to its east face. To the south façade of the main section, right of the vestry, there are three windows similar to those on the north façade. To the east gable there is a triple pointed-arch (or triple lancet) window set at a high level. The roof of the main section has a series of Velux windows to each side, several ventilators to the ridge, and stone Celtic cross finials to each gable. To the gable of the vestry there is a rendered chimneystack, and to that of the front porch there is a metal cross finial. The rainwater goods consist of moulded cast-iron gutters and square downspouts.

The graveyard is enclosed by rendered walls. To the north wall (to the roadside) there is a carriage entrance with square pillars with stepped caps and metal finials, and decorative wrought-iron gates.