Farranavilla Grave Yard — Castletown (ballycowan By.)

Situated on a slight rise in undulating countryside. A large irregularly shaped graveyard (dims. 68m N-S x 41m E-W) enclosed by a drystone wall with 18th and 19th-century headstones concentrated in its S sector. There is a stile and coffin stand in the centre of the graveyard wall facing onto the road on the N side of the graveyard. A small rectangular drystone-walled enclosure (int. dims. 8m x 8m) in the SE quadrant may represent a single family burial plot. There are no visible gravemarkers inside this small enclosure which is accessed via a stile which is visible in the centre of the E wall of the enclosure. Two bullaun stones (OF007-052001/002-) are located in a pile of field clearance stones to the N of the headstones. A chamfered and rebated jambstone of a late medieval limestone window can be seen lying on the ground immediately N of the headstones. This fragment may have come from the nearby castle ruins (OF007-051) located in the field to the SW of the graveyard. There is a lot of rock outcrop within the graveyard and there is no clear evidence for any church site within the graveyard. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 May 2011