Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Castletown-arra graveyard lies on low-lying ground with a river to the N and the E shoreline of Lough Derg 70m to W. The castle (TN019-001001-) of Castletown stands 90m to N and a medieval mill (TN019-003----) stood to the E as shown on the 1654-5 Down Survey map of Castletown parish (NLI, Ms 721). A second castle site (TN019-004----) depicted on the 1840 ed. OS map where it is shown standing 220m to SSE. In the seventeenth century the Royal Book of Visitation records that Daniel Kennedy was the 'officiating vicar', and that the church was in good repair (Gleeson 1915, vol. 2, 510). The 1654-56 survey recorded that there was one acre of glebeland which was situated to the 'west of the Churchyard finced round wth a ditch and at present wast' (Simington 1934 vol. 2, 152). The present remains consist of a restored church (TN019-002001--) standing off centre in large roughly rectangular-shaped graveyard (approx. dims. 55m N-S x 70m E-W) enclosed by a nineteenth-century stone wall with entrance gate at NE. Graveyard contains slate headstones with good examples of folk art.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 21 February 2020

References

NLI, MS 721 – National Library of Ireland , The parish maps of the Down Survey of County Tipperary, attested by Wm. Petty in 1657. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers, 1786-7. Dublin.

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.

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1934 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. II: county of Tipperary - Western and Northern baronies. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.