Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

On a knoll in low-lying estuarine marsh near the N bank of the W-flowing Inagh River. Accessed via a relict footpath from the N. 

Included by Sheehan (1982, 46) among the early historic ecclesiastical sites in north Clare. According to Westropp (1900-2, 109-10), a church (CL015-094001-) was founded by St Mac Creiche ‘about 580’ and named for his disciple Mainchín. A church was reputedly built in the dún of Baoth Bronach, king of Corcomroe, who gave the site to the saint (Archdall 1873, Vol. 1, 84-5; Westropp 1910, 154). Mason (1814, vol. 1, 487-8) observed that the ruins of the church survived but that few traditions regarding St Mainchín persisted, except ‘the awkwardness of the site he pitched upon for his church’. O’Donovan (Comber 1997, 105) recorded that the graveyard was still in use. Indicated as an oval enclosure on both the first (1840) and Cassini (1916) editions of the OS 6-inch map, and labelled ‘Kilmanaheen Burial Gd’ on the former and ‘Kilmanaheen Grave Yard’ on the latter. 

An oval-shaped graveyard (49m N-S; 34m E-W) is enclosed by a partially collapsed and overgrown drystone wall (Wth 0.6m; H 1.4m), on a natural knoll (H 1-3m) and is accessed via a stile to the N. Where the wall has collapsed completely only a scarp (H 0.5m) survives. The gravestones are concentrated in the SW sector and comprise broken 19th and 20th century ledger slabs and headstones, as well as small uncarved stone markers. According to local information (1998), the last official funeral in the graveyard was in the 1940s. 

There are the possible remains of a church (CL015-094001-) in the W sector. 

 

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Eve Campbell

 

Date of upload: 8-10-2025

References

Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis. Westropp, T.J. 1910 Notes on the antiquities round Kilfenora and Lehinch, Co. Clare, Part 2. Journal of the North Munster Archaeological Society 1, 91-107. Sheehan, J. 1982 The early historic church-sites of North Clare. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 24, 29-47.

Westropp, T.J. 1900-02 The churches of Co. Clare and the origin of the ecclesiastical divisions in that county. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Series 3, vol. 6, 100-180.

Archdall, M. 1873-6 Monasticon hibernicum: or, a history of the abbeys, priories, and other religious houses in Ireland. 2 vols. Dublin, W. B. Kelly.