Ecclesiastical enclosure in Derrykearn — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Derrykearn holds a low curvilinear bank of earth and stone, wide as two men stretched hand to hand and rising barely to a child's knee. The bank cuts across the north and east edge of the graveyard, suggesting that a larger enclosure once stood before the present church and burial ground took their final shape. Whether it kept out wolves, marked holy ground, or simply excluded ordinary traffic from the dead, the answer has vanished. What remains is a thin arc of soil and stone, still doing its old work of separation.

A church (LA023-007003-) and graveyard (LA023-007004-) with associated earthworks consisting of a low curvilinear earth and stone bank (Wth 2.4m; H 0.8m) that intersects the N and E boundary of the graveyard at NE which may represent the remains of an earlier enclosure around the church and graveyard. Earthworks visible on aerial photograph (GSI, S 147-8). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 09 December 2011

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