Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Carmelite friary founded (WM016-019----) c. 1291 by Robert Dillon, Lord of Drumrany (Gwynn & Hadcock 1970, 286). This site consisted today of a post-medieval roughly rectangular-shaped graveyard (int. dims. 19.2m N-S; 26.7m E-W) with entrance gate and stile at W. Inside the graveyard are the remains of a seventeenth century graveslab (WM016-019002-) and 17th century wall monument located (WM016-019004-) in SE quadrant and the remains of the S wall of a church belonging to the Carmelite friary (WM016-019----) which forms the S boundary wall of the graveyard. The graveyard wall (H 1.5m; T 0.5m) is post-medieval in date except for the S wall which incorporates a section of the S wall of the medieval Carmelite friary church. Outside the graveyard are the remains of a subcircular earthen rampart which either represents the remains of an earlier ecclesiastical enclosure (WM016-019003-) of possible Early Christian date (Swan 1988, 19) or represents the levelled boundary of the monastic precinct wall of the Carmelite friary. The earthworks described below in 1983 which run off the SE angle of the graveyard wall represent the levelled remains of the Carmelite friary.
In 1983 the site was recorded as consisting of, 'a rectangular graveyard (WM016-019001-) enclosed by a stone wall, situated near the centre of a possible circular enclosure (WM016-019003-). The rectangular graveyard measures 28m E-W x 21m N-S. From the SE corner a bank, with some wall foundations extends 27m E. Here there are traces of a further bank running N-S. In this area to N of the graveyard, within the possible circular enclosure there are a number of humps and hollows. Prominent among these are two parallel banks, suggesting a sunken trackway running NE-SW. To the W of these banks there is a circular mound of stone & earth. This mound is c. 1m high on S side, on NW side there are traces of wall foundations extending out from this mound' (SMR File 30/06/1983). Memorials inside graveyard have been recorded and photographed and are now listed on the Historic Graves website at http://historicgraves.com/graveyard/ardnacrany-north/wm-acny, accessed 9 October 2014. See attached pdf showing plan of graveyard taken from Historic Graves website at the above address.

Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revision: 15 October 2014

References

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

Swan, D.L. 1988 The Early Christian ecclesiastical sites of County Westmeath. In J. Bradley (ed.), Settlement and society in Medieval Ireland: studies presented to F.X. Martin O.S.A., 1-31. Kilkenny. Boethius Press.