What is recorded here

Cruach na Cara, also called St Macdara’s Island in County Galway, carries a buried church and a small enclosure where boulders still break through the soil like forgotten fingers. The place escaped easy identification for centuries, yet the stones remain arranged around a ruined leacht and cross-slab, suggesting that death and prayer once shared the same narrow ground. What is missing is only the name remembered by later people; the island still keeps the shape of what it swallowed.

Associated with the ecclesiastical remains at the SE end of Cruach na Cara/St Macdara’s Island. Named ‘Burial Ground’ to the W of the church (GA076-020001-) on the 1838 edition of the OS 6-inch map and ‘Burial Ground (Disused)’ on the 1899 resurvey but not indicated on either map. On inspection in August 1984 this area was intensively searched but not trace of it was found. A more likely location for it is a small subrectangular enclosure (GA076-020014-) c. 15 m to the NE of the church. Within its interior numerous boulders protruding from the ground appear to be grave-markers. A ruined leacht (GA076-020010-) and cross-slab (GA076-020009-) are also located in the S half of the enclosure. Compiled by: Olive Alcock Date of upload: 6 June 2018

Christian burial ground; likely medieval in date. Associated with the ecclesiastical site of St Macdara’s Island, it reflects early monastic settlement and funerary practices in the region.

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