Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Cropmark of large roughly circular enclosure or natural hollow (approx. diam. 130m N-S; 120m E-W) visible on Digital Globe aerial photographs taken between November 2011 and March 2012. The only upstanding section of the original bank survives at NE where it is incorporated into the present townland boundary. According to the folklore from Ballinree School in the Schools Collection, this field was known locally as the 'Kyle' and the large circular cropmark was known as 'The Burying Pit' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0536, Page 243-4). In the centre of the small hollow or enclosure there was a large flat mass rock where mass was held during the penal times. According to local folklore people were buried in front and around this mass rock and in the past human bones have been unearthed around the mass rock and it was reported that mysterious lights are seen hovering around this place at night time. This last piece of folklore may suggest that the hollow area was not used as a 'Mass Pit' during penal times but also as a possible children's burial ground. Possible ecclesiastical enclosure based on its large size and the fieldname of 'Kyle' which was re-used in penal times as a mass pit and possibly as a children's burial ground. Alternatively the site may have been a large ecclesiastical enclosure with burials inside the enclosure dating from the medieval period.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Derek Ryan

Date of upload: 23 November 2016