What is recorded here

Burial Gd (Disused) holds three earthen chambers on Horse Island, where a lone upright stone still faces the sea. Local tradition claims one McCarthy-Townsend sleeps beneath the rough pasture, joining unnamed islanders in darkness. The dead likely watched the cliff edge for centuries before living people stopped carrying them there.

In rough pasture, on NW-facing slope at W edge of Horse Island. Marked 'Old Burial Ground' on OS 6-inch map (1842). Roughly sub-rectangular field (c. 50m NE-SW; c. 31m NW-SE) defined by coastal cliff to NW and W. At SW side built up against steep NW-facing slope, are series of earthen banks (H c. 0.8m) enclosing three rectangular areas c. 8m wide (NW-SE) and 25m, 10m and 15m in length, from NE-SW, respectively. On more gently sloping ground to NW, 7m in from cliff edge, is upright stone (H 0.5m; 0.41m x 0.1m) aligned NW-SE. According to local tradition one of the McCarthy-Townsends buried here. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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