What is recorded here

Inisbofin Island carries a graveyard where medieval faith and modern memory share the same rough ground. The church still stands in the southern half, ringed by cross-slabs, holy wells and a bullaun that suggest worship continued long before written records arrived. Burials cluster around the ancient building, then stretch north and west as generations kept returning to the same stones. The place does not sound like a lost site; it sounds like a continuous relationship between the living, the dead and the island itself.

Located in an area of rough pastureland and outcropping rock at the SE end of Inisbofin Island and immediately to the S of a roadway. Indicated as a roughly rectangular graveyard (c. 98m NNE-SSW; c. 60m E-W) on the 1896 resurvey of the OS 6-inch map, it has since been extended to the W. A medieval church (GA099D014001-) is located in its S half and traces of a possible ecclesiastical enclosure (GA009D014003-), defined by a scarp line, are visible around the church from N through E to SE. Two holy wells are located within it at SW (GA009D014005-) and SE (GA009D014004-), as well as a bullaun (GA009D014008-). A number of cross-slabs (GA009D014006-, GA009D014007-, GA009D014010-, GA009D014011-) and two crosses (GA009D014012-, GA009D014013-) are also associated. The earliest burials occur around the church and consist of stone-lined graves and simple grave-markers. Modern burials occur to the N and NW of the church and the extension to the W. The graveyard is enclosed by a capped boulder wall and access is gained at NW. Compiled by: Olive Alcock Date of upload: 15 June 2018

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