Graveyard in Athlone, County Westmeath (WM029-042092-)

In 1626 a Franciscan residence was re-established in Athlone (Millett 1972-3, 161) and in the late seventeenth century, probably the 1680s, work began on a new friary church (WM029-042001-). This building was never completed because of the fall of James II and the consequent political upheavals (Conlan 1978, 79; Grannell 1978, 52-3). This 1680s Franciscan friary church is to be seen on the north side of the town, where it is delimited by the Abbey lane at the south end of the graveyard, Abbey road and Coosan Road and the back of the houses in Lucas Lane. Of the five Early Christian cross-inscribed slabs (WM029-042095-; WM029-042096-; WM029-042097-; WM029-042047-) found in Athlone, four were found in the graveyard of the Franciscan Friary graveyard. The cross-slabs date from the mid-eighth to eleventh centuries (Fanning and Ó hÉailidhe 1980). The present 17th century friary curch and graveyard may stand on the site of the 13th century friary which in turn may have been built on the site of an Early Christian monastery (WM029-042050-). Alternatively the medieval friary may have been located elsewhere within the town of Athlone. According to the Urban Survey of Westmeath the present 17th century Franciscan friary church and graveyard (WM029-042092-) 'almost certainly lie on the site of a pre-Norman church (WM029-042050-), whose existence is attested by the discovery of early grave slabs and traces of an enclosure. This is to be seen on the south side, where it is delimited by the lane at the south end of the graveyard, Abbey road and the back of the houses in Lucas lane (Bradley et. al. 1985, 44). The present remains consist of a long rectangular friary church (WM029-042001-) which stands in the N quadrant of sub-rectangular shaped graveyard (dims. 50m N-S; 50m E-W) now a town park, which was cleared of its graveslabs in order to provide space for a town park during the 1980s. In 1815 the graveyard was enclosed by a stone wall (Murtagh 1994, 10) the remains of which can only be seen along Abbey lane which forms the boudnary of the graveyard from S to W. A stone plaque commemorating the enclosing of the graveyard with a boundary wall which was paid for by public subscription has been incorporated into the N wall of the mortuary chapel in SE quadrant of graveyard. A second stone plaque bears the inscription 'This Abby Founded AD 1240' has also been built into the external face of N wall of mortuary chapel. The friary church was rebuilt as part of the park clean up scheme in the 1980s and the headstones were removed from their location and placed around the walls and along both sides of the lane to the south and west of the church where thay can still be seen today. The memorials mainly date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Burial inside this graveyard mainly ceased in 1871 with occasional burials after this date (Murtagh 1994, 10).