Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

In undulating pasture on SW face of low hillock with poorly preserved wall footings of a medieval church (WM035-003----) standing in N quadrant of graveyard. According to local folklore there was an old pilgrimage route running between the monastery of Clonmacnoise (OF005-027001-) and the old churchyard at Killomenaghan which passed through the townland of Cloncraff or Bloomhill (OF006-001002-) where partial remains of the trackway were excavated in 1987 (Breen, Parkes & Bradshaw 1988, 332-3). Roughly D-shaped graveyard enclosed by stone wall of post medieval date with entrance gate and stone stile at SE. Immediately inside the gateway on the N side a stoup probably taken from the church has been incorporated into the graveyard wall. Unable to locate St. Menaghan's holy well (WM035-003002-) depicted on 1910 ed. OS 25-inch map where the well is shown located inside the S corner of the graveyard immediately inside the entrance gate and stile. A second holy well (WM035-003003-) is depicted in the field 30m S of the graveyard. Memorials inside the graveyard date from the 18th century onwards. A curving earthwork visible on aerial photographs (CUCAP BDT 93) in the field from W-N suggests the presence of a possible ecclesiastical enclosure (WM035-003004-) although this is not certain as the curving boundary may be a topographical feature following the base of a natural hillock on which the graveyard is situated. A curving ditch in the field to the SW appears to be a drainage ditch while the earthwork in the field to the E may be the result of scarping of a natural hillock on which the graveyard is situated. Linear earthworks in the field to the SW appear to be the remains of broad cultivation ridges running WNW-ESE of uncertain antiquity.

Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien

Date of upload: 5 August 2014

References

Breen, C.T., Parkes, H. and Bradshaw, R. 1988 Excavation of a roadway at Bloomhill Bog, County Offaly. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 88C, 321-39.

CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com