What is recorded here

Grave Yard stands on high ground in County Limerick, overlooking Knockea Hill and guarding the forgotten boundary between Raheen Castle and the medieval church ruins. The Hunt family mausoleum still marks the north-east quadrant, while newer memorials continue to enter the post-1700 wall. Burials may extend beyond the visible garden, hidden in the soil north of the churchyard where trial trenches once found four bodies aligned east-west. The place remains alive, not as a dead archive but as a continuing chamber where memory, loss and time keep being rearranged.

Situated on high ground with good views towards Knockea Hill to E and S. Raheen Castle (LI013-101003-) and bawn (LI013-101006-) 50m to WSW. Poorly preserved medieval church ruins (LI013-101004- ) in N quadrant of graveyard. Present remains consists of a rectangular-shaped area (approx. dims. c. 63m E-W; 50m N-S) enclosed by a post-1700 wall with entrance gate in centre of W wall with stile located at N and S ends of W wall. A second entrance gate is located in E wall located off centre to N. Graveyard still in use with memorials dating from the 18th century to present day. Large Hunt family mausoleum located in NE quadrant of graveyard with second l Hunt family mausoleum built up against the external face of the S wall of the church adjacent to the SE angle. In 1997 pre-development archaeological testing carried out by Brian Hodkinson under licence No. 97E0012 in the field immediately north of Raheen churchyard revealed four inhumations with an east-west orientation in three of the six trenches opened. The area with burials extends to c. 10m north of the churchyard wall and it is assumed that there are further burials in the areas between the trial-trenches. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 26 October 2018

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