Grave Yard — Ballysakeery

In pasture, close to the shore on the W side of the River Moy estuary. The graveyard encompasses the W end of an E−W ridge. A gentle slope immediately outside the W wall of the graveyard drops to a stream, which skirts the graveyard at W and S. The graveyard is subrectangular (c. 29m E–W; c. 28m N–S), enclosed by a mortared stone-built wall of relatively modern date, accessed at the W end of the N wall through a wrought-iron gate, flanked by circular stone-built pillars. There is a ruined medieval church (MA022-055001-) in the N half. There is a predominance of early 19-century graveslabs, lying directly on the ground or supported on low stone walls, to W and S of the church; many of these are in a somewhat dilapidated condition. Several 20th-century rectangular grave plots are intersperced between the 19th-century graves, and a close-set row fills the narrow space between the N wall of the church and the N graveyard wall. Numerous low, uninscribed stone gravemarkers, many arranged contiguously in roughly N−S rows, are visible throughout the graveyard. There is a castle (MA022-054----) c. 50m to NW, and a rath (MA022-056----) c. 140m to E. An access road lies to the N of the graveyard. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 2 May 2019