Burial Ground — Doonpeter

In pasture, on N-facing slope. Sub-circular area (c. 65m NW-SE; c. 45m NE-SW) enclosed by stone-faced earthen bank NE->SE, stone wall SE->W and earthen bank (H 2.6m) with shallow external fosse, W->NE. Access through gate at SE side; no longer in holy use. Though regarded by O'Donoghue (1914) as 'a great rath' the site is shown as an irregular enclosure on 1842 OS 6-inch map but sub-circular on 1902 OS 6-inch map; according to O'Donoghue (ibid.) the enclosure took its present form about 1800 when a Mrs Clarke 'raised the circumvallation that marks the great enclosure'. During this work 'a cave' was discovered which may indicate the presence of a souterrain. The interior is heavily overgrown and apart from the holy well (CO043-014002-) on N side a bullaun stone (CO043-014003-) on SE side, little of the other features described by O'Donoghue are visible. These include an 'ancient church' which he described as 'long since in ruins....the north wall traceable, about twenty five paces long....the west side is twelve paces'. Here he describes a doorway marked by 'two great stones (see (CO043-014002-) and a lintel six feet long lying 'within the sacred edifice' near a small cairn or mound said to contain the body of a priest. He also describes an area containing sixteen graves, 'an unbaptized burial ground' and a headstone dated 1852. 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