Burial

The National Monuments Service's description

Described in 1980 as 'A small modern rectangular enclosure outlined by a modern wall of concrete blocks. This enclosure is open on the S side at the roadway and there is a smaller enclosure. There is a modern ringed cross erected in the enclosure at the junction of the larger and smaller. The stone cross has rope mouldings at the angles of the shaft. The stone base has an inscription on its S face - THIS CROSS MARKS THE SITE OF THE BISHOPS GRAVE A PLACE OF PILGRIMAGE FROM EARLY TIMES ST ETCHEN BURIED IN THE CEMETERY FOUNDED THE MONASTERY OF CLONFAD HE ORDAINED ST COLMBKILLE TO THE PRIESTHOOD HE DIED 11TH FEB 577 THE MONASTERY WAS DESTROYED BY THE DANES IN THE 10TH CENTURY' (SMR file). The site of Clonfad monastery (WM027-067001-) is marked on the 1910 edition of the OS 6-inch map located c. 170m to the N and a church (WM027-066005-) high cross (WM027-066002-) and graveyard (WM027-066001-) are located c.95m to the west. Clonfad monastery was founded here around the middle of the 6th century by St. Etchen (Cogan 1870, 553). The church (WM027-066005-) and graveyard (WM027-066001-) was probably built on the site of the monastery rather than the square-shaped enclosure marked as ‘Monastery’ on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map.

References

Cogan, Rev. A. 1862-70 Ecclesiastical history of the diocese of Meath: ancient and modern. (3 vols) Dublin: John Fowler, Joseph Dollard