Graveyard in Croughal

Conry church ruins (WM025-005001-) stands inside an Early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure (WM025-005002-) on a natural rise of ground surrounded by poorly drained land known as the 'Island of Conry'. On the 1656-9 Down Survey map of Churchtown parish this townland was known as 'Conry & Cloghoule' (NLI, MS 723-4), the latter was anglicised to the present Croughal which lies in the parish of Churchtown. Conry church ruins (WM025-005001-) stand inside a sub-rectangular shaped graveyard (approx. dims. 65m NW-SE x 45m NE-SW) defined by a low earth and stone bank in N quadrant of the larger ecclesiastical enclosure (WM025-005002-). A cluster of low uninscribed stones to the S of the church ruins may represent burial markers. Two cross-inscribed graveslabs (WM025-005003-/004-) lie inside the sub-rectangular shaped graveyard. Site described in 1978 as following; 'To the NW of the church (WM024-005001-) there is a rough limestone slab with remains of an inscribed cross of Early Christian date (WM024-005003-). The church is on a low rise in low lying wet pasture land. The site is criss-crossed with earthworks & enclosures. To the SE of the church there is a possible house site (WM025-005001-).' (SMR file). The cross-slab and church are situated inside a large oval shaped enclosure (WM025-005002-). A second cross-slab (WM025-005004-) is located immediately S of the church. The church is depicted on the 1837 OS Fair Plan map as 'Conragh Old Church' with a 'Grave' marked to the NNW of the SW corner of the church ruin, with a 'Grave Yard' depicted as a sub-rectangular field which is not indicated on the current edition of the OS 6-inch map (SMR file). The Island of Conry is depicted on Magan Estate Map of 1819 as 'Church Ruins & Burial ground', on this map the church and burial ground are not enclosed (NLI, MS 14 A 21 (5) SMR file). Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 05 March 2019