Burial in Ballincloghan Little — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

The Hermitage in Ballincloghan Little holds a buried life interrupted by modern convenience. In November 1968, men digging a septic tank struck bone instead of clay, pulling upward a person who had slept beneath the house for four centuries. The Gardai took the fragments away, leaving the soil empty and the story unfinished.

The files of the National Museum of Ireland records that in November 1968 human remains were discovered at a house called 'The Hermitage' near Kilcormac, Co. Offaly (Cahill & Sikora 2011, vol. 2, 506). This house is indicated on the current edition of the OS six inch map. The remains were discovered during excavations for a septic tank on the site of a dwelling house. The site was reported to the Gardai at Kilcormac who visited the site and removed the bones, stating that they were approximately 400 years old. The landowner, Mrs Maxwell, then reported the discovery to the NMI. According to the Garda who investigated the site, the remains were approximately 0.3m below ground level and did not constitute a complete human body. The site was kept under surveillance but was not investigated by the NMI. The remains were not acquired (NMI file).

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.