Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Kilnaughtin Church (Cill Neachtain, church of Neachtan (in ruins) and graveyard (KE003-008001-). An ogham stone (KE003-070----) was found by Windele in 1836 in the old churchyard (KE003-008001-) of Kilnaughtin: it lay about six feet [1.8m] from the S.E. angle of the Church (KE003-008----) in the burial ground (Macalister 1945, 222-223, no. 228). It is now in the Pitt-Rivers Museum, Oxford. Graveyard depicted as a rectangular shaped area (approx. dims. 37m N-S x 46m E-W) on the 1841 ed. OS 6-inch map with Kilnaughtin Church in centre of graveyard and entrance .
In 2010 a graveyard survey carried out by Laurence Dunne recorded the following details: 'The graveyard and church have been cleaned up in the recent past and all grass removed to be replaced by gravel between all the graves, tombs and within the church. A new section of burial ground has been added to the east end giving the graveyard a narrow wedge shaped appearance. Boundary walls around the older western area of the graveyard are constructed with un-coursed rubble limestone bedded in mortar and capped here and there with ‘soldiers’ and are generally in excellent condition. However, along the north-eastern section the boundary is lower and covered with a copious growth of ivy and also slightly damaged and poorly repaired. The boundary wall around the new eastern end of the graveyard is constructed with concrete blocks in sections between taller capped piers. There are two vehicular entrance gateways providing separate access to the old and new areas of the graveyard. Independent able-bodied pedestrian access is also provided for by a swing-stile to all areas. The gates and stile are in excellent condition. There is an outdoor altar (106) and seating area (201) at the southern corner of the graveyard. There are only three ‘strong-box’ type tombs recorded in Kilnaughtin, one of which, the Hamilton tomb, is in the church. A total of 280 named headstones (HN) were recorded in Kilnaughtin graveyard of which ten are simple iron crosses while there are seven large rectangular grave slabs and two table graves. Many of the headstones within and around the church i.e. in the old graveyard contain the earliest headstone dating from late 18th and 19th centuries. There are twelve headstones without names (HWN), however eight of them at Kilnaughtin are simple iron crosses whose name may have fallen off or indeed never had a name plaque attached. There are seven wall plaques in Kilnaughtin, five of which (70, 413, 421, 422 and 423) are fixed onto the walls of the medieval church' (Dunne 2010, 4-7).

See attached plan of graveyard courtesy of Laurence Dunne

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 7 June 2022

References

Dunne, L. 2010 Archaeological Survey, Kilnaughtin Church and Graveyard, Carhoona, Tarbert, Co. Kerry. Unpublished report for The Heritage Office, Kerry County Council (SMR file).

Macalister, R.A.S. 1945 Corpus inscriptionum insularum celticarum. Dublin. Stationery Office.

Toal, C. 1995 North Kerry Archaeological Survey. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority.

ASIAP - Archaeological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1996 - c. 2010).