Mausoleum

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a terrace in gently undulating pasture immediately S of Abbey Owney graveyard (LI014-014006-) and abbey (LI014-014002-) c. 30m N of the Mulkear River with good views to S and W. No surface remains visible of any mound in field to E of the building marked as 'Convent on the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map. According to Seymour (1907, 180 ), 'The old graveyard (LI014-014003-) is said to have been in the field between the river and the present entrance to the graveyard (LI014-014006-). Stepney, thinking it a pity that good land should be thus wasted, rooted up all the graves, gathered the coffins and remains together, and tried to burn them. They refused to burn, so he piled them on the river bank, and threw them in when a big flood came down. But the river, as if abhorring such desecration, washed them back again; so he was at last compelled to bury them at a spot in the field which is now marked by the mound'. Seymour (1907, 165) recorded that the mound was located between the E wall of the Walsh mausoleum (LI014-014004-) marked as 'Convent' on the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map and the public road where 'there is a mound, resembling a small tumulus'. According to Seymour (1907, 363) 'two curious figures' 'were dug out of the mound outside the graveyard, and that they formed part of the Barry mausoleum (LI014-014018-). They represent nude, armless, female figures in very high relief, and appear to be copies of Sheela-na-gigs intended by the sculptor to be placed on each side of a tomb'.
The mound appears to have been formed from the collapsed rubble of the Barry family mausoleum. In 1865 the following description regarding the Barry memorial mentions this mound which was described as following; 'In a mound of rubbish, my brother thinks that portions of some of the other monuments might be found, as he remembers, on a small portion of it being dug, the two little pillars represented in the drawing of the Barry mausoleum were found, quite in good preservation. He was a few years ago looking for a portion of the Barry monument, and a richly carved stone, both of which he had seen used as head stones; but the churchyard had become so overgrown with grass or weeds, that he could not find them, but he and I both perfectly remember them there' (Shirley et. al. 1865, 277-78). Seymour (1907, 363) described these fragments as following; 'two curious figures' 'were dug out of the mound outside the graveyard, and that they formed part of the Barry mausoleum. They represent nude, armless, female figures in very high relief, and appear to be copies of Sheela-na-gigs intended by the sculptor to be placed on each side of a tomb'. The two columns (LI014-014026-/027-) decorated with caryatid like figures can be seen in the SW quadrant of Abington graveyard (LI014-014006-).
Craig described this monument as following; 'Just outside old graveyard, a seventeenth century mausoleum with squat ionic columns. Inside the graveyard two early nineteenth century cut-stone mausolea, and two smaller ones much overgrown' (Craig 1975, 418).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien and Matt Kelleher

Date of upload: 3 July 2017

References

Shirley, E.P., Dineley, T., O'Brien, R. and Graves, J. 1858-67 Extracts from the Journal of Thomas Dineley, Esquire, giving some account of his visit to Ireland in the reign of Charles II. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 6, 73-91, 176-204, 289-90.

Seymour, Rev. St. J. 1907 Abbey Owney, County Limerick. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 37, 165-80, 360-73.

Craig, M. 1975 Mausoleums in Ireland. An Irish Quarterly Review, 64, No. 256, 410-423. Irish Province of the Society of Jesus.