Leacht Cuimhne

Eochaill, County Galway: The place is a memorial, not a myth. A compact stone pillar carries two names across more than half a century of grief. The first, set into the south-western face, commemorates Bridget Dirrane, recorded also under the name O Brien, and is dated 1811. The second marks Julia Dirrane, dated 1868. Fifty-seven years separate the two inscriptions, yet they share the same stone, the same family name, the same form of memorial. Whether the monument was built in 1811 and returned to in 1868, or whether both plaques were added at a later point, the notes do not say. The double