Burial

The National Monuments Service's description

On a N-S ridge between two small valleys. There are very fine views in all directions. According to Graves (1852-3, 190-2) the townland of Rathmoyle, ‘takes its name from a rath of the same appellation, which, when entire, crowned a small eminence of lime-stone gravel situate on the elevated ridge, which rises to the south of the parish church’. The ridge was quarried and, ‘a great part of the rath has been removed…The excavation thus formed presents a section of the rath, and proves it to be, not a remain of military or defensive class, but a thickly peopled cemetery’ (ibid.). He describes how, ‘about eighteen inches or two feet under the surface may be seen, protruding from the sides of the sand-pit, human bones, which are found not confusedly buried, but belonging to perfect skeletons which had been interred without any coffin or cist of stones or flags. They lie for the most part with the head to the east, and feet to the west, and show no signs of cremation. I have been assured by the neighbouring peasantry that no arms or ornaments of any kind have ever been turned up; while the human remains are so abundant, that I was informed by one man that he had often carried away as many as two or three skulls in one horse load of gravel’ (ibid.). He also noted that, ‘the north face of the excavation exhibits a perfect section of a pit sunk into the gravel about five feet deep, and ten or twelve in diameter. This pit may be traced by a well marked line of charcoal, calcined bones, and clinkers or slag’ (ibid.). Graves presented some of the bones from examination by a Dr. Crane who stated that, ‘the greater portion of them belonged to human beings who appeared, from the teeth, to have been aged about fifty. A few of the bones seemed to have belonged to the skeleton of a sheep’ (ibid.).
The description of the earthwork as a rath, suggests that the monument had an enclosing bank, it was probably a barrow (KK013-135----). The townland is dominated by a N-S ridge and on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map a quarry (diam. c. 85m) is indicated at the highest point of this ridge, with a limekiln immediately S of it. It is likely that this is where the burials were located.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 1 April 2020

References

Graves, J. Rev. 1852-3 Proceedings. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 2, 190-2, 358.