Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Rattoo Church (in ruins), graveyard (KE009-056005-). The graveyard is enclosed by a stone wall built in the last century.

Rattoo graveyard surveyed in 2012 and described as follows; 'The site of Rattoo church and graveyard is situated in Rattoo townland approximately 3.5km south-east of the village Ballyduff and circa 21 km north of Tralee. The site is located on flat ground with expansive views in all directions and circa 0.77km west of the River Brick that issues into the Cashen River at Dysert Marshes abutting Rattoo. The early medieval ecclesiastical complex of Rattoo, (An Ráth Thuaidh- the northern fort), is National Monument No. 55. Rattoo parish church and graveyard are an integral part of a wider monastic and developed ecclesiastical complex that dates from the early medieval period that is best exemplified monumentally by the presence of one of the finest Round Towers in Ireland.
The graveyard is enclosed by a high stone wall in good order. It contains a twenty nine tombs and sixteen named headstones the earliest of which dates to 1770. Dispersed around the S, SE & E limits of the graveyard are forty five unhewn gravemarkers. Entrance into graveyard is through an iron gate in poor neglected state. The gate is set beneath a fine stone arch. Beside the gate is a modern galvanised swing-stile in good order. A new entrance to access the Round Tower has also been recently constructed by the OPW. The graveyard and church are enclosed by a high uncoursed rubble stone wall along its W, N and E as well as circa 50% of its S boundary where the height of the wall achieves a maximum height of 1.4m. Apart from some ivy on the high section of the S boundary, the walls have, little or no growth or breaches and are in good order. There are twenty nine, (29), tombs within the graveyard including the two in the church. Most of the tombs are the haunched ‘strong-box’ or gabled type. The tombs have all been generally repaired, repointed and in one case completely re-rendered. Another tomb at the NE area of the graveyard is currently under repair. There were forty-five, (45), unnamed headstones (HWN) in total recorded in the course of this survey' (Dunne 2012, 1-9).

See attached plan of graveyard courtesy of Laurence Dunne.

The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 938. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Laurence Dunne

Date of revised upload: 4 May 2022

References

Dunne, L. 2012 Archaeological Survey, Rattoo Graveyard, Ballyduff, Co. Kerry. Unpublished report for The Heritage Office, Kerry County Council (SMR file).