What is recorded here

Conwal graveyard in County Leitrim holds a worn 1722 headstone for Grace Connolly, wife of Ter Mac Loghlin, marked by a crouching Dobhar Chu with a dagger in its neck. Folk tradition says the creature killed a woman and her husband killed it back, turning the grave into a place where love, violence and memory still touch.

Within Conwal graveyard (LE003-008002-) is a grave-cover or prone headstone (dims c. 1.37m x c. 0.56m) bearing an inscription and the date 1722 in roman numerals in false relief within a border. It also has the carving of an animal known as the 'Dobhar Chu' and was recently rediscovered and recorded by Gary Dempsey, although it is now very worn. The inscription has been read (Tohall 1948, 127-8) as: ----/ ??ODY OF / GRACE CON / N?Y WIFE / TO TER MAC / LOGHLIN WHO / DYD 7BER / THE 24TH / ANNO DMI / MDCCXXII. The Dobhar Cú is a crouching dog with a small head looking over its shoulder, and with very large paws. It is described as being close to an otter (Tohall 1948, 127; Ruickbie 2016, 51-2) and in the image a dagger or spear is plunged into its neck. In the folk tradition the Dobhar Cú killed a woman and in turn was killed by her husband. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 23 May, 2016 Amended: 24 June 2019

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