What is recorded here

Donaghmore church graveyard holds a broken headstone belonging to a Cleere wife, possibly Margaret Rothe, who married John Cleere around 1658. The missing half of the slab swallowed her first name and the exact day she died, leaving only a gap where her identity should be. She may have walked that ground twice under two different names before disappearing into the stone's silence.

Noted by Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 83) in the graveyard (KK010-005002-) of Donaghmore church (KK010-005001-). Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 85), notes that near the graveslab (KK010-005004-) of Joseph Bradshaw, dated 1673, 'is the first half of another slab of same pattern and period, with remaining portion of the inscription as follows, 'Heere lieth the Body of ................Cleere, wife unto John.................departed this life the 2.............'. Carrigan (ibid.) suggests that the, 'lady to whom the above monument as erected was possibly Margaret Rothe otherwise Pucell (widow of James Rothe of Durrow) who, about 1658, took as her second husbank, John Cleere, gent. of Ballincran, now Ballachurrawn, a well-known sub-division of the townland of Conahy. These Cleeres hae been long extinct'. There are a number of early 18th-century headstones in this area of the graveyard, not all of which have legible inscriptions. Some of these may date to the late 17th century and may include the slab identified by Carrigan. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 20 March 2019

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