Children's burial ground in Limerick City

Well preserved ruins of small pre-Norman Kilrush Church (Nat. Mon. No. 366) (LI005-009----)reputedly founded by Rose who was the sister of St. Munchin (Ó Carragáin 2010, 312; Lenihan 1866, 542-3). The church is known locally as Old Church and/or St Munchin's Church and now stands in the centre of a small housing estate accessed off the Old Church Road. Kilrush Church is located in St. Munchin's parish in the Diocese of Limerick. It stands 155m N of the River Shannon and 2km SW of Thomond Bridge and Limerick City. On the first ed. OS 6-inch map, Kilrush [Kellros] Church is depicted standing in E quadrant of graveyard (LI005-009001-) with Kilrush Cottage immediately to S. In 1980 prior to the construction of the housing estate six excavation trenches were opened by Larry Walsh, former curator of Limerick Museum, on the footprint of the development in an attempt to identify the extent of the graveyard (LI009-005001-) at Kilrush. The excavation uncovered the remains of 39 burials the majority of which were located in Trench 1 [37 inhumations] on the S side of the church close to the Quinlivan window. A high percentage of these burials (40.5%) belonged to infants suggesting the presence of a children's burial ground probably dating from the post-medieval period (Donnelly and Murphy 2008, 2003; Lynch 1998, 110). The presence of infant burials along with a possible burial of a mother and her infant, and possible stillborn children all hinted that this church site had been in use a children's burial ground or cillín dating from most likely the post-medieval period (Lynch 1998, 112). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 11 July 2018