Burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

16th century mass burial ground described by Cuppage (1986, 424-5, no. 1519) as follows; 'Dún an Óir [KE042-002001-]: On 28 August 1580, a fleet of 6 ships, carrying about 700 to 800 Spaniards, Italians and Irish led by Sebastiano di San Giuseppe, set sail from Santander on route for Dingle to support the Desmond Rebellion. The fleet dropped anchor in Smerwick Harbour in September 1580, and the force proceeded to fortify Dún an Óir (Castel del Oro), a small cliff promontory on the W side of the harbour, where Piers Rice had built a 'perty castel' about a year before. The fortifications were not completed before the arrival of the government forces and the commencement of the siege on 7 November. The main government force under Lord Grey was joined on land by a force under the Earl of Ormond, and Admiral Winter's fleet effectively blockaded the harbour. The siege lasted only 3 days, and, despite the fact that the fort had provisions enough for 6 months and arms and ammunition enough for 4000 men, the garrison of about 600 surrendered on 10 October and all but about 20, including women, were massacred on the same day (O'Rahilly 1937, 1-15, 65-83; Jones 1954, 41-2; Ó Tuathaigh 1980).
According to local tradition the victims of the massacre were decapitated in a nearby field known as Gort na Gearradh (the field of the cutting), their corpses thrown into the sea, and their heads buried in the fields known as Gort na gCeann (the field of the heads), about 500m to S of the fort [KE042-002003-]. There is also a local tradition that the bodies subsequently washed up from the sea were interred at Teampall Bin in Caherquin townland (991) [KE042-052----]'.

Compiled by; Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 6 April 2022

References

Cuppage, J. 1986 Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne.

O'Rahilly, A. 1937 The massacre at Smerwick (1580). Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 42, 1-15, 65-83.

Ó Tuathaigh, G. 1980 The massacre at Dún an Óir 1580. Ballyferriter.

Jones, F.M. 1954 The plan of the Golden Fort at Smerick, 1580. The Irish Sword 2, 41-2.