Children's burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

Kilfountan Church and Calluragh burial ground/Teampall Fionntain: A roughly D-shaped or sub-oval enclosure within which are the remains of an oratory and rectangular hut, a cross-inscribed ogham stone and a bullaun stone. A quernstone from the site, probably of Disc A type (Caulfield 1969, 64 and 69), is now in the Museum in Cork. Children were still being buried here in the 19th century (OSNB Kildrum, 31). The site is located in the low-lying, level plain that lies N of Dingle Harbour.

The enclosure measures 41m N-S x 28m E-W internally and is defined by a stone-faced earthen bank which reaches a maximum height of .9m at WSW. The interior is raised slightly above the external ground level and along the SE sector the enclosure is defined only by the stone-faced edge of this platform. The bank along the W half of the site is curiously irregular in comparison with the regular curve of the remainder of the outline and it may be a later field boundary. It does not differ significantly from the adjacent field fences and there is no obvious break between it and the fence that continues from it to N. It is not clear where the original entrance lay.
The interior is divided NNE-SSW internally by a low bank, no more than .3m high. At its SW end, this bank merges with an irregular stone and earth mound of uncertain origin. A short distance to NE of this there is a 1.2m wide entrance gap through the dividing bank.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 849. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 8 August 2013