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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Graveyard

Rahugh, County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Graveyard, Rahugh, County Westmeath, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Rahugh
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Grave Yard
Latest-edition OS map
Grave Yard
Coordinates
53.33621, -7.43769
SMR number
WM038-041001-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated atop low rise of ground in undulating countryside with good views in all directions. Early Christian cross-slab (WM038-039----) known locally as the ‘Headache Stone’ 160m to SW and St. Hugh’s holy well (WM040-004----) 210m to SSE. Aodh [Hugh] of Rahugh [Ráith Aodha] reputedly founded a monastery here in the 6th century (Walsh 1957, 288). Roughly oval-shaped graveyard (dims. 50m N-S; 60m WNW-ESE) partially enclosed by post-medieval stone wall with entrance gate at NE and stile to N of entrance. It is in occasional use. Medieval church (WM038-041----) ruins standing in centre of graveyard. The graveyard is enclosed by a post medieval stone wall from NNE-E-S-W-WNW, and from WNW-N-NNE by a low broad earthen bank which may represent the remains of an ecclesiastical enclosure (WM038-041002-) of the monastery founded in the 6th century by Aodh [Hugh] of Rahugh [Ráith Aodha]. A rectangular annexe enclosed by the post-medieval stone wall of the graveyard was added on to the N side of this enclosing bank. In 1896 the graveyard and the ecclesiastical enclosure (WM038-041002-) was described as following; ‘the churchyard is in a state of the most terrible confusion, the tombstones lying two or three deep within a circular cashel [WM038-041002-]’ (Stokes 1896, 331).

WM038-041001-_01.jpg. View of graveyard taken from south looking north.

WM038-041001-_02.jpg. View of entrance gate at north-east with stile to north.

Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien

Date of upload: 4 September 2014

References

Walsh, P. 1957 The Placenames of Westmeath. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Stokes, Rev. G.T. 1896 St. Hugh of Rahue: his church, his life, and his times. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 6, 325-335.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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