Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

On the lower S-facing slope of Kilmacoliver Hill, overlooking the valley of the River Suir. It is described in the OS Letters (1839) as 'an old burying ground' (O'Flanagan ed. 1930, vol. 2, 197). Crawford (1909, 256) describes it as being located in, 'a sequestered hollow surrounded by trees'. The graveyard is associated with a parish church (KK034-032001-) and an early medieval monastery, the latter evidenced by four high crosses (KK034-032004-; KK034-032005-; KK034-032006-; KK034-032007-) within the graveyard. It is roughly rectangular in shape (dims. c. 51m N-S; 44m E-W), enclosed by a stone wall, and is accessed down a long stonewall-lined avenue from the public road, with a gateway and stile at the W end of the N wall. There is also a stile at the S end of the W wall. The graveyard was probably enclosed in the 18th century (Hurley 1988, 125). At the S end of the E side there is a wide gap to allow access to the holy well (KK034-032007-) which lies c. 25m to the E. The headstones are concentrated in the S half of the graveyard and date from the 18th century onwards. The later medieval church appears to have been located roughly W of centre within the graveyard, though its exact position is uncertain as the present stone structure may or may not be where the church was located. In 1985 the N half of the graveyard was levelled with a mechanical digger with a view to opening this portion of the graveyard for burials (Hurley 1988, 124). Following a preliminary archaeological excavation it was decided to move the modern graveyard to another location (ibid.). The excavation revealed an earlier curving stone wall which is possibly the ecclesiastical enclosure (KK034-032011-) surrounding the early medieval monastery at this location (ibid., 124-34).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 15 August 2018

References

Crawford, H.S. 1909 The crosses of Kilkieran and Ahenny. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 39, 256-60.

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.

Hurley, M. F. 1988 Excavations at an early ecclesiastical enclosure at Kilkieran, county Kilkenny. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 118, 124-34.