Grave Yard — Cill Chuáin

Kilquane church and graveyard/ Cill Chuáin (KE034-106004-): The modern rectangular graveyard and site of the medieval parish church are located directly S of Kilquane village at the foot of the W slopes of Brandon Peak. The outline of an earlier, probably circular enclosure can be traced outside the NW wall of the graveyard and a bullaun stone lies within the former. One of the roofing slabs to a modern grave was reported to have a possible ogham inscription. The authenticity of the inscription could not be verified as the stone has been removed and could not be located on this occasion. Amongst the older gravemarkers in the graveyard are a rude stone cross, 0.68m high x 0.54m wide, and a few notched stones. In 2011 a graveyard survey carried out by Ann Frykler and Robert Hanbidge of Headland Archaeology Ltd. recorded the following details: ‘Kilquane Graveyard is located within the townland of Kilquane (ED Kilquane), Co. Kerry, situated approximately 8.7 km northwest of Dingle and approximately 2.3 km southeast of the village of Feohanagh, on the Dingle Peninsula. It is overlooked to the east by Mt. Brandon, the highest peak on the Dingle Peninsula. The graveyard is located on a very slight westerly sloping area within pastureland and enjoys extensive views over the surrounding countryside to the west which breaks onto the Atlantic Ocean. The graveyard is recorded in the Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) as KE034‐106004-, and contains the site of a church listed as KE034‐106003-. Also within the boundaries of the graveyard are two architectural fragments; KE034-106005‐/006-. Outside the boundaries of the graveyard and within the adjoining two fields to the northwest is the site of an Ecclesiastical Enclosure KE034‐106001- and a Bullaun Stone KE034‐106002-. The historic section of the graveyard is sub‐rectangular in plan. A more recent graveyard extension surrounds the historic graveyard to the east and south and is ‘L’ shaped in plan. The historic section of the graveyard is enclosed by both drystone and mortared rubblestone walls while roughcast rendered walls enclose the graveyard extension. The graveyard is entered via three stiles and a gated entrance which are located along the north‐eastern boundary. new rectangular graveyard has been constructed to the north‐east of this roadway with an extensive modern car parking area to the northwest. There are no visible structural remains of the church. The boundary walls surrounding the historic section of the graveyard consist of two types: those to the northeast and west are drystone walling while those to the southeast and southwest consist of mortared rubblestone with rubblestone and flagstone coping. The primary entrance which is located along the north‐eastern boundary of the graveyard extension consists of a pair of roughcast rendered square‐profile piers surmounted by render capping supporting double‐leaf wrought‐iron gates. The piers survive in good condition with occasional cracks to the external rendering. The second method of entry consists of a ‘V’‐shaped stile which is located immediately to the southeast of the main entrance. Two historic stiles are located within the north‐eastern boundary of the historic section of the graveyard. These consist of large flagstones which are positioned at perpendicular angles to the wall to create a projecting step on both elevations. A narrow stone in the centre of the step is flanked by two large rubblestone blocks. Two more entrances are located in the south‐eastern boundary of the historic section of the graveyard. These are simple in form and are represented by gaps in the wall. There are 14 named tombs present at Kilquane Graveyard which are concentrated in the southwestern half of the graveyard. Generally these tombs are modest in their construction and consist of rectangular structures, usually built from rubblestone although some have red brick detailing and are externally rendered. The oldest identified burial within the graveyard was Grave No. 8 with a date of 1921. There are approximately 58 unnamed tombs within Kilquane Graveyard. Larger portions of the central southern half of the historic graveyard were inaccessible as they were unsafe to enter. There are 11 named headstone and plots present within Kilquane Burial Ground. There were 7 unnamed or illegible headstones and plots present during the survey of Kilquane Graveyard. In total 38 unnamed gravemarkers were recorded during this survey of Kilquane Graveyard. The majority of these were concentrated in the northern area of the graveyard and usually consisted of simple locally sourced stone which was placed in an upright position, e.g. Grave No. 40. Miscellaneous No. 01: Small cross slab forming gravemarker for Grave No. 41. Miscellaneous No. 04: Small cross slab forming gravemarker for Grave No. 128. The cross is partially buried and it appears that one arm of the cross is broken off. Miscellaneous No. 02: Small portable sub‐square piece of stone with hole carved in centre, currently located on plot of Grave No. 44. Miscellaneous No. 03: Small portable sub‐square piece of stone with hole carved in centre, currently forming part of the fabric of the tomb at Grave No. 48‘ (Hanbidge 2011, 2-11). See attached plan of graveyard courtesy of Robert Hanbidge The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 857. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload:6 July 2022