Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Indicated by a dashed line on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map as a D-shaped area (dims. c. 34m N-S; c. 36m E-W) extending westward from a roughly N-S field boundary. The dashed line suggests that the area was not enclosed. It is described in the OS Letters (1839) as, 'a bit of the wall of an old Church in the Townland of Killashulan, with a place a little to the north of it for the interment of still born infants. The inhabitants call this place Teampall Chlasi Shuibhlain, i.e., the Church of Shulawn's Trench, and know nothing more about it' (O'Flanagan (ed.) 1930, vol. 1, 150 (49)). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 259), 'The churchyard has no inscribed monuments. it was last used for an adult interment about 1830; it is still used for the burial of unbaptized children', also he takes issue with O'Curry's translation of the name in the OS Letters and states that the correct name is 'Teampall Killashoolan, or Church of Killashoolan' and contains no reference to a trench. O'Kelly (1969, 11) refers to it as, 'a burial ground for still-born children, usually described as reilig na mgárlach'. The graveyard is not visible at ground level.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 7 February 2018

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Kilkenny collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Bray.

O'Kelly, O. 1969 (Reissue 1985) The place-names of County Kilkenny. Kilkenny.

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.