What is recorded here

Grave Yd. is a Clare graveyard where moss buries stone walls and fifteen upright markers still stand beside Shankill Church. A modern plaque names the place An tSeanchill Cillín, suggesting children may have slept there while adults used the wider church ground. The nearby stream, abandoned farmstead and scattered fields extend the shadow of that loss across the valley.

On a level area of a very gentle S-facing slope, in rough pasture and mixed woodland, with a stream (running c. ENE-WSW) located c. 55m to S. Named on all historic OS mapping as ‘Grave Yard’ and encloses Shankill Church (CL035-089001-) to the immediate E and S. Westropp (1900-02, 149) refers to this site as ‘a graveyard and fragments of a church near Dangan Ivigen’. A sub-rectangular area (c. 40m NW-SE; c. 25m NE-SW) is defined by low, moss-covered collapsed stone walls. The church is located in the NW corner of the graveyard and the remains of a second rectangular structure (12.5m N-S; 7m E-W) are located c. 12m to SSE, adjoining the eastern boundary. The rectangular structure is defined by a collapsed moss-covered stone wall (H 0.45m; T 1m). The area to the immediate E and S of the church between the two structures has the highest concentration of loose moss-covered boulders and approximately fifteen low, uninscribed gravemarkers which are deliberately set upright and are likely to mark burials. The area may have been used as a children's burial ground at some stage and there is a modern plaque commemorating ‘An tSeanchill Cillín’ situated c. 6m to W of the rectangular structure. The graveyard potentially includes the two small fields (c. 45m NE-SW; c. 22m NW-SE) adjoining to S, along by stream, where there are a number of low, uninscribed markers amongst some loose stone and rock outcrop. It may also extend to the field (c. 40m NW-SE; c. 20m NE-SW) adjoining to N and the field (c. 40m NW-SE; c. 25m NE-SW) to the immediate E, where mounds of loose stone are present that could potentially contain graveyard fragments (Large 2010, 338). An abandoned farmstead is located c. 40m to E so there may have been an overlap of use in the areas located between the graveyard and this former settlement. The following images have been uploaded: CL035-089002-_01.jpg From E. Modern plaque of ‘An tSeanchill Cillín’. CL035-089002-_02.jpg From W. Four deliberately placed upright gravemarkers. CL035-089002-_03.jpg From N. General view of concentration of upright markers and stones. CL035-089002-_04.jpg From S. Cross-sectional view across interior of rectangular structure. CL035-089002-_05.jpg From W. Two fields to S, along by stream, containing upright markers. CL035-089002-_06.jpg From S. Field to E of field containing church and definitive graveyard. Compiled by: Mary Tunney, Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 14 March 2018

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