Children's burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture on level ground in a multiperiod field system (CL009-013001-). Hachured as a raised subcircular area, clipped by a N-S running field boundary from NE to SE, and labelled ‘Kilballymurphy Burial Gd. for Children’ on the 1842 ed. of the OS 6-inch map, and as ‘Kilballymurphy Children’s Burial Ground’ on the 1920 ed. Listed as ‘Burial ground’ in the RMP (1996). Labelled as ‘site of Cill Bhaile Uí Mhurchadha’ on Robinson’s map (1977). The OS Letters (1839) suggest that this and another children’s burial ground (CL009-013002-) c. 745m to the WNW, in neighbouring Ballymahony townland, were probably the sites of ‘small chapels of ease to the Parish Church’ (Comber 1997, 65) at Noughaval, c. 1.3km to the SSE. The site was bulldozed away in 1983, yielding ‘rakes of human bones’, according to the then-landowner (Sheehan 1982, 47) but no remains of it can now be seen at ground level. However, it outline, subrectangular in shape (c. 18m N–S; c. 17m E–W), is visible in satellite imagery (Digital Globe [2011-2013]; Aerial Premium [2012-2018]).

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 21 October 2021

References

Sheehan, J. 1982 The early historic church-sites of North Clare. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 24, 29-47.

Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis.

Record of Monuments and Places as established under Section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, County Clare. Issued by National Monuments and Historic Properties Service 1996. Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.

Robinson, T. 1977 (revised 1999) The Burren: a two-inch map of the uplands of north-west Clare. Map scale 1:31680. Roundstone: Folding Landscapes.