Grave Yard — Behaghane

Kilcrohane Church/Cill Chrócháin, also known as Coad Church and traditionally dedicated to St Cróchán, the patron of the parish, is located close to the N boundary of a rectangular graveyard (KE106-032002-) on the lower SE slopes of Coad mountain. The site overlooks Cove Harbour and Kenmare Bay to S. In 2009 a graveyard survey carried out by Robert Hanbidge and Ann Frykler of Headland Archaeology Ltd. recorded the following details: 'The graveyard is sub rectangular in shape and enclosed by a mortared rubble stone wall. The only entrance to the graveyard is in the southwest corner and consists of a pair of white painted wrought-iron gates. There are no paths or desire lines within the graveyard. The grounds where the graveyard is situated are highly uneven and there is a steep break in the landscape where no graves where surveyed due to the high risk of additional collapse of the ground. This break forms an upper and a lower platform in the graveyard. The church and the chapel ruins are both situated on the upper platform in the northern part of the graveyard. The church stands further to the east and is according to a local person, it is believed that the present church is built on top of an older church of which a window/door survives to the north. The chapel ruin is located to the southwest of the church. The boundary walls surrounding the burial grounds are of mortared rubble stone with rubble stone coping. Walls are intact and enclose the burial grounds completely, there is however a small stile created in the northwest corner with steps leading up to it, this small improvised opening leads to the shrine of St Chrochain with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Toberavilla holy well. The entrance consists of a double-leaf wrought iron gates painted white, hung from square-profile roughly dressed rubble stone gate piers with rubble stone capping. Of the 13 tombs present at Behaghane graveyard there was only one named tomb grv no. 445, this belongs to the Moriarty family and was originally erected for professor Owen Moriarty who was working at the Irish college in Paris and died 1810 at age of 95, his headstone was also inscribed with "afterwards P.P. and vicar for many years". This is also the oldest marked grave within the graveyard. There are only 45 named graves on Behaghane graveyard, these dates mostly from mid 19th century to mid 20th century. There are 13 unnamed headstones and plots within the graveyard, these are represented by simple stones with carved crosses. The vast majority of grave markers represented on Behaghane graveyard are those of the unnamed. There were in total 1091 graves of this type surveyed, however due to the ground conditions, rubble and excessive overgrowth with fern and tall grass some might have been overlooked. Their shape and sizes varies from being a simple natural stone on the ground as grv no. 1022 to be tall and shaped as grv no. 1154'. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1087. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Robert Hanbidge Date of revised upload: 4 August 2022