Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Abbeydorney Monastery (in ruins) is situated half a mile NE of Abbeydorney village. On the 1841 ed. OSi 6-inch map the Cistercian monastery (KE021-053001-) is depicted standing on the NE boundary of a roughly circular-shaped graveyard (diam. c. 60m) accessed by a laneway at SW. The shape of the graveyard was changed when it was enclosed by the present wall enclosing a rectangular-shaped graveyard (dims. c. 59m NW-SE x 82m NE-SW) as shown on the 1892 ed. OSi 25-inch map. The centre of the present graveyard mainly occupies the footprint of the cloister of the Cistercian monastery with some of the tombs constructed with architectural fragments of the cloister and abbey. In recent times the graveyard has been extended to the E and now forms a large rectangular shaped graveyard (dims. c. 59m NW-SE x 140m NE-SW) with monastery at W angle of graveyard.
According to local tradition, SE of this abbey lies an earlier graveyard and possibly a church (KE021-053003-). The area was known as Oilean na nGé (island of the geese) (Pierse 1976, 19). Revd. Power (1929, 92) recorded the following details about this tradition; 'An aged Irish-speaking native of the locality pointed out the alleged site three hundred yards or so to south-east of the abbey-of an earlier graveyard and, presumably, church. This is, or was, known as Oilean-na-nGé, on the townland of Móinteáin-na-nGé [Montanagay]. The spot is low-lying and wet and altogether an unlikely place for either church or graveyard'.
After changing hands several times, the monastery was finally bought in 1601 by one of the Crosbie family for £130. He in turn sold it to David Crosbie of Ardfert in 1638. The property at that time consisted of '1 church [KE021-053001-], 2 churchyards [KE021-053002-], 2 acres arable, 1 water-mill (KEO21-053005-) and 170 acres in the parish' (Pierse 1976, 27). This reference suggests that there were 2 churchyards at Abbeydorney, the precise location of the second churchyard has not been identified although it may have been the churchyard referred to locally as being located in the townland of Montanagay.

The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 968. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 26 July 2022

References

Pierse, J.H. 1976 Abbeydorney Monastery, Co. Kerry — the Canon Power manuscript. North Munster Antiquarian Journal XVIII, 14-30.

Power, P. 1929 The Cistercian abbeys of Munster. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 34, 22-9; 91-7.

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