Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a break of slope with land falling away to the SW, in very undulating, rough pasture with a lot of outcrop and drainage activity. An ecclesiastical site founded by Augustinian canons in the twelfth/thirteenth century (Gleeson 1915, vol. 2, 347). Referred to as the 'rectory of Twomahone' in the Royal Inquisition of 1568 (Stout 1984, 106). Ruins of a medieval church (TN018-010001-) stand in the N quadrant of a roughly trapezoidal-shaped graveyard (int. dims. 65m N-S; 37m E-W) enclosed by post and wire fencing with gateway at W side. In the graveyard there are a number of roughly cut tombstones of mid-eighteenth-century date, and also nineteenth- and twentieth-century headstones. According to the OS Letters the large graveyard was 'not enclosed by any wall or mound' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 91). An aerial photograph taken in 1973 (GSIAP, S 81/80) shows a large curving earthwork to the E of the church and graveyard. This may be part of a larger ecclesiastical enclosure (TN018-010002-) which originally surrounded the site.

Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien.

Date of revised upload: 13 February 2015

References

Stout, G. 1984 The archaeological survey of the barony of Ikerrin. Roscrea Heritage Society.

O'Donovan, J. 1840 Ordnance Survey Namebooks. County Tipperary.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Tipperary collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840. Bray.

Gleeson, Rev. J. 1915 (Reprint 1982, 2 vols. with intro. and biblio. by George Cunningham) History of the Ely O'Carroll territory or Ancient Ormond. Kilkenny. Roberts Books.

GSIAP - Geological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1973). Geological Survey. Beggars Bush, Haddington Road, Dublin 4.