Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

The Kilbride River flows roughly E-W c. 40m S of the graveyard and the holy well, 'Toberbride' is located c. 30m to the SSE. A roughly rectangular graveyard (dims. c. 60m N-S and c. 53m E-W at N, narrowing to c. 38m at S), on raised ground, defined by a stone wall, with a townland boundary running c. 7m S of and parallel to the S side. The Callan-Clonmel road formerly ran along the E side but has been bypassed. The modern graveyard extends to the N and W.
According to Hogan (1860-61, 361), ‘The chapel of Cill-Bhrighde was an ancient church, the site of which is still a place of great sepulture, known as Kilbride’ and was ‘the ancient parochial church of the district’. When the parish church was established in Callan, the church at Kilbride became ‘a chapel of ease’ (ibid.). The church (KK026-013001-) is not visible at ground level. Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 319) notes that there are no pre-1700 funerary monuments in the associated graveyard.
Carrigan (ibid. 320-21) describes a pattern which was held at Kilbride graveyard on St Bridget’s feast day, the 1st of February, till the beginning of the 19th century: ‘It was attended by all the people for miles around, in holiday attire, the richer portion bringing basketfuls of bread and butter (called manchaine, or bread of lamentation), for distribution among the poor, who in return, were expected to pray for the donor’s deceased friends. Other features of this celebration were the dressing of the graves with box and laurel and such flowers as were procurable at that season of the year; the weird chant of the death-song by the mna chaointe, or keeners; the placing of the craobh maighdionais or Branch of Virginity, decorated with white ribands, &c., at the head of some lately deceased young maiden’s grave; and the pilgrimage and prayers at St. Bridget’s holy well’.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 10 May 2022

References

Hogan, J. 1860-61 Topographical and historical illustrations of the suburbs of Kilkenny. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquarians of Ireland 6, 335-87.

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