Grave Yard — An Gorta Dubha

Dunurlin Church: The site of the 13th century parish church KE042-041---- (Cal Docs Ire, V, 297) is located in the graveyard KE042-041001- here. The site lies in a low-lying area near the NW tip of the peninsula. In 2010 a graveyard survey carried out by Laurence Dunne recorded the following details: 'Dunurlin is situated on the north-western limits of the Dingle Peninsula, 2km west from the village of Ballyferriter and 17km from Dingle. The medieval ruined church and graveyard of Dunurlin is situated on a fairly level pasturage at 16m OD circa 1.5km from Smerwick Harbour to the NE and 1.0km from Ferriters Cove to the W. There is a new modern graveyard attached to the medieval burial ground at the south. The new section of Dunurlin Graveyard is enclosed by an earthen grass covered bank on its E and W and part of its SE and SW sides. A new stone wall and entrance was constructed in the middle of the S boundary. The wall connecting the new section and the old medieval burial ground comprises a modern section of coarse local render divided into four sections by five square capped piers that extends from E to W where it connects to the old boundary wall that was built in the second half of the 19th century. This older wall of local rubble stone encloses all of the older burial ground. It is on average 1.2m high and is capped in places with soldiers while other sections at the N & NE are capped with cement. The main entrance to Dunurlin Graveyard is through a modern gateway into the new section of the graveyard and from there into the old burial ground. The main entrance comprises a pair of modern galvanised gates set between two robust 1.6m high square stone piers while pedestrian access is gained via a squeeze stile a little to the W or left of the gates. Another gate entrance provides access from the new graveyard into old. This original entrance comprises of a pair of rusted gates set between two square low piers built of rubble stone and set in mortar. Immediately beside the gate to the W or left is a two step stile while a second stile is built into the W limits of the wall. A third disused step stile is located on the N boundary wall. The old burial ground of Dunurlin has a large raised and bumpy interior within which lies the ruined medieval church. The ground rises from the south to the height of the church at circa 2m and drops away sharply outside the W, N and E. The NE corner of the old burial ground is overgrown and no graves or tombs are visible there. This may reflect the earlier limits of the graveyard, as denoted on the 1841 map when it was much smaller and squarer than the current larger wedge shape. The graveyard was first enlarged between 1841 and 1896 as the 2nd Ed. OS map demonstrates. The raised central area of the old burial ground is more or less surrounded by thirty four generally large 19th and 20th century tombs and a few grass covered and formal modern grave settings. Studded across the raised interior to the south and east of the church are one hundred and sixty (160) unhewn and unnamed headstones as well as at least five cross-slabs. A sixth cross-slab lies against the interior of the E gable. There are twenty-two named tombs in Dunurlin Graveyard, the majority of which are in good order. The tombs are mainly of the simple box type tombs finished with a coarse cement render. The Ó Lúbhaing tomb (274) is of the strong box variety with shouldered haunches. While Bruic tomb (294) is a modern house shaped tomb constructed with small rubble stone. There are twelve unnamed tomb in Dunurlin Graveyard. The majority of the tombs are of the box variety. Others comprise low rectangular flat tombs built with small rubble stones. Several of the tombs are un-rendered, covered or partially covered in grass, briars, furze and in need of repair and maintenance. There are one hundred and fifty four modern named headstones associated with formal grave settings at Dunurlin graveyard. There are one hundred and sixty one unnamed headstones (HWN & Appendix 4) in total recorded in the course of this survey. All of the unnamed headstones are simple grave markers of unhewn local sandstone and are predominantly disposed around the central area of the old graveyard. There were six small cross slabs recorded in Dunurlin in the course of this survey. One of the cross-slabs is modern (546), located beside the bench/patio area has a Chi-Rho inscribed on it. No previously unrecorded architectural fragments were recorded in Dunurlin Graveyard. According to Ó Coileáin 110 architectural fragments were found during the 1991 excavations of which 101 were noted in the course of this survey and discussed above. However, it is possible that other were removed to the Ballyferriter Museum. One fragment identified by Ó Coileáin as a cusped ogee head of a window was not found' (Dunne 2010, 2-16). See attached plan and photographs courtesy of Laurence Dunne. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 994. 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: 7 July 2022