What is recorded here

Grave Yard in Garristown, County Dublin, has buried people since the fifteenth century, making it one of the oldest continuous death places in the village. Rainwater chutes from the lost medieval church still stand among the graves, turning useful building parts into markers for forgotten lives. The yard keeps growing westward because the living still believe the dead belong inside its wall rather than discarded outside it.

Situated on an elevated position in the village of Garristown. Large, roughly rectangular-shaped (dims. c. 73m N-S x 65m E-W) graveyard enclosed by a post 1700 wall with entrance gate in centre of N wall and a second gate in SE corner. A stone stile is present at NE and SE corners. Modern graveyard extension to W. A late 19th century church (1888) stands in the SW quadrant, possibly on the site of the medieval parish church of Garristown (DU011-011001-) (Lewis 1837 1, 650; Walsh 1888, 245). The oldest graveslabs appear in the S of the graveyard. Those with inscriptions date from the 17th to the 21st century. A fragment of a possible 15th-century effigial tomb (DU003-011004-) was uncovered in 1990 and is now housed in Garristown library. At least four rainwater chutes (DU003-011005-) possibly from the medieval church are now visible in the graveyard where they appear to have been reused as grave-markers. The graveyard is still in use and has been extended to the west. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Updated by: Christine Baker Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 14 February 2023

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