Wall monument

The National Monuments Service's description

The convent building marked on the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map is the same building described by Thomas Dineley in 1681 as 'a small Chappel unroof'd belonging to the Walshes, as appears by a fair Monument of black marble and Inscripcons there. Over the Door at the entrance into it is read as follows under his Armes, dated 1619: - The Armes of Sr Edmond Walshe Knight, and hys Ladye Ellyce Grace. The Letters show what Images are thereon engraven : - B. St. Peter D. St. Bernard R. Sancta Maria Mater S. Maria Magdalena. The Inscription at large is after this manner' (Shirley et. al. 1865, 279). The partial remains of the wall memorial belonging to the Walsh family has been inserted into the N wall of a medieval building when this building was converted into a mausoleum for the Walsh family of Abbey Owney. This wall monument commemorating the death of Edmund Walsh bears a Latin inscription dated 1618 and is signed by its maker Patrick Kearin. This monumental sculptor also carved the tomb of Archbishop Miler Magrath at Cashel and a memorial to Walter Bourk at Glankeen church in Borrisoleigh, Co. Tipperary (Shirley et. al. 1865, 277). Patrick O'Kerin was the son of Walter O'Kerin who belonged to O'Kerin school of monumental sculpture in the Ossory region in late 16th and early 17th century (Phelan 1996, 167; Loeber 1981, 290, Plate XI). This memorial was drawn by Thomas Dineley between 1675-80, see attached image of drawing taken from Loeber (Loeber 1981, Plate XI, NLI Ms 392). Loeber suggested that the cut limestone often referred to as marble for the memorials in Abington graveyard came from quarries in the barony of Clanwilliam (Loeber 1981, 278). The marble quarry (LI023-339----) of Caherline and Ballyhobin mentioned in the Civil Survey of 1654-56 may have supplied the stone for these memorials (Simington 1938, 74).
In 1865 this building and its wall monument was described as following; 'The only portion of the abbey now remaining is the small roofless chapel, containing the monument of Sir Edmund Walsh: some ten or twelve years ago, when I last saw it, the monument was in fair preservation, and most of the inscription still legible' (Shirley et. al. 1865, 277-78). The inscription on this wall memorial was translated by Seymour (1907, 360) who described the wall monument as following; Immediately above this inscription, and at an obtuse angle to it, are two small slabs, each of which has a representation of a grotesque human head amongst vine-branches and grape-clusters. On the right hand side of the inscription, and at right angles to it, is a stone which has carved on it a figure clasping the emblems of the Passion, above which runs in a semicircle the inscription SAINBERNARD. This represents St. Bernard, the founder of the Cistercian Order, and it would appear, from Dyneley's notes that there were three other similar figures representing St. Peter, the Virgin, and St. Mary Magdalene, which have entirely disappeared. On either side of the tomb are two plain pillars, and on the slabs at the back of them there is an orderly arrangement of squares and flowers. On the stone canopy overhanging the inscription are depicted a number of little figures, each with a semicircular inscription over it; they evidently represent saints, but the lettering is too illegible to be made out. On the same canopy are carved five coats-of arms'. See attached images for translation of Latin inscription as given by Seymour and photograph of wall monument taken early 1900s.
This wall monument was recently described by Cockerham as comprising of a 'comprising a sarcophagus base, a middle tier with an architectural blind façade of pilasters supporting an architrave and a large panel behind inscribed in Roman capitals with a short factual account of the deceased and a set of verses. An arcade of three round-headed arches once fronted this layer, with plain Doric columns supporting a heavy entablature and cornice. The multi-storied composition, the arcading of the middle tier, the back inscription panels, the incorporation of saints' figures, and the lightly incised decorative panels, are all particularly close to the Shee/Rothe tombs in Kilkenny' (Cockerham 2009, 311).
Fragments of this 17th century wall monument have been taken from Abington and are now incorporated into a shelter of a mass rock in the townland of Cappercullen. The image of St. Bernard carved on a slab described above by Thomas Dineley in 1681 and by Rev. Seymour in 1907 can now be seen at Cappercullen mass rock (LI007-014---). The scroll brackets incorporated into the mass rock shelter would also appear to belong to the 17th century wall memorial of the Walsh family.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien and Matt Kelleher based on details kindly provided by Derek Ryan

Date of upload: 30 June 2017

References

Loeber, R. 1981 Sculptured memorials to the dead in the early seventeenth century Ireland: a survey from Monumenta Eblanae and other sources. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 81C 11, 267-93.

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.

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1938 The civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. IV: county of Limerick, with a section of Clanmaurice barony Co. Kerry. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Cockerham, P. 2009 My body to be buried in my owne monument: the social and religious context of Co. Kilkenny funeral monuments, 1600-1700. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 109C, 239-365.

Phelan, M. 1996 The O'Kerin School of Monumental Sculpture in Ossory and Its Environs in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 126, 167-181.

NLI, MS 392 - National Library of Ireland, "Observations in a voyage in the Kingdom of France", and "Observations in a voyage through the Kingdom of Ireland", both by Thomas Dingley, 1675-80.