What is recorded here

Marmullane Burial Ground stands one kilometre west of Passage West, overlooking Cork Harbour, where a lost parish church once anchored the centre of the living world. The graveyard remains active, with headstones appearing from the 1790s onward and newer burials clustered at the north end, while the vanished church suggests that death and memory have long shaped this place. A missing sixteenth-century slab recorded by Fitzgerald may have marked Philip, son of Ronane, who died in pestilence, giving the quiet stones a sharper edge of loss.

Approached by laneway from N; 1 Km W of Passage West, overlooking Cork Harbour to E. Subrectangular graveyard (c. 110m N-S; c. 70m E-W) enclosed by stone wall to N, W and E and by arc of earthen bank (C 30m) to S. Still in use; headstones date from 1790s; most modern interments at N end. Fitzgerald (1910-12) notes slab in centre of graveyard of 16th century appearance; his rubbing shows a rectangular slab with inscription along edges and decorated with cross whose shaft rises from plain stepped base to seven-armed interlaced cross-head with fleur-de-lis terminals, spiral flanks shaft on right side; Fitzgerald (ibid.) gives inscription which 'is partly in "the black letter" and partly in Roman capitals' as: 'Hic iacet Phillippus filius ... Ronane de Corck qui obiit Pesti(l)enciae, anno doii (domini) ...' (ibid.); no trace of slab in graveyard. At centre was ancient parish church of Marmullane marked 'Church (in ruins)' on all eds OS 6-inch map; no visible surface trace. Church in ruins by 1615 (Brady 1863, vol. 1,212); in 1700 described as 'almost quite down' (Brady 1863, vol. 1, 213). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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