What is recorded here

Grave Yard in County Laois is a D-shaped burial ground where the south and east walls ride the bank of an old bivallate ringfort. Rustling grass and unmarked stones suggest people lived, died and were forgotten beside the fort long before written records arrived. The connection between burial, defence and memory is the striking part: the dead were placed where the living already trusted the earth to hold them.

D-shaped graveyard (int. dims. 24m N-S; 35m E-W) with S and E wall built on bank of bivallate ringfort (OF034-004003-). Described by Carrigan as 'The church (LA034-004001-) of Ballybuggy was situated on the summit of a low hill, within a round rath (LA034-004003-) 40 yards in diameter and still showing traces of a stone and mortar caiseal along the top of the enclosing earthen rampart. It was about 23 ft. wide internally; its length cannot be determined. All that remains of it now is part of the south side-wall, about 1 ft. in height. There are several well-dressed blocks of limestone scattered about the graveyard, one of them being part of the cap of an ogee-headed window divided by a mullion (LA034-004006-). Part of the graveyard was walled in by the Board of Guardians about 1880. The head-stones are all rude and unisncribed.' (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 341-2). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 December 2007

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.