What is recorded here

Graveyard in Rathduff holds the buried church of Ballinvoher, whose rubble was broken and rebuilt into the very tombs that mark it now. Two ogham stones still stand or lie among those graves, one carrying a cross and a name that may have been Sidan, the other hiding Sonocc beneath damaged scores. The church served the living until the early 1800s, but the stones suggest the ground was sacred long before that, perhaps since a time when names were cut into rock instead of written in books.

The graveyard and site of the medieval parish church of Ballinvoher lie about a mile NE of Anascaul, on a gentle S facing slope at the W end of the low ridge that extends W from Flemingstown mountain. The church was in use in 1622 (TCD Ms 2158, 94) but was demolished in the early 19th century and the rubble utilised in the construction of tombs (OSL). An earlier origin for the site is suggested by the presence within the graveyard (KE045-025001-) of 2 ogham stones. There is, however, no trace of any earlier enclosure. (KE045-025003-) A cross-inscribed ogham stone standing upright against the W end of a modern tomb near the E side of the graveyard. It is .94m high, .27m wide and .12m thick. The ogham inscription has suffered considerable damage and many of the scores have entirely or partially disappeared. It reads: S(I)D(A)N(I) M(A)Q(I) DALA The letters in brackets are as recorded or suggested by Macalister (1945, 188-9). The present W face of the stone is inscribed with a cross-in-circle, the stem of the cross continuing below the circle to form the shaft of another cross. Directly above the circle is a 3rd plain cross, the head of which appears to have been extended to the top edge of the stone by the addition of a groove separated from the cross by only a slight ridge. It is also possible that this latter groove is earlier than the cross. (KE045-025004-) A 2nd ogham stone was discovered in the 1940's during the excavation of a new tomb (Macalister 1942, 76). It now lies prostrate against the W end of a large tomb about 14m from the W wall of the graveyard. It is a rectangular block of sandstone measuring 1.3m in length, .33m in width and .12m in thickness. Although the scores are clearly legible, 2 interpretations are possible: LLONNOCC MAQQ(...... SONNOCC MAQQ(...... The above description is derived from J. Cuppage (compiler) 'Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey.' Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne (1986), no. 873. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 May 2013

Medieval Christian burial ground; associated with the parish church of Ballinvoher. Significance lies in its connection to the medieval ecclesiastical landscape of the region.

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