Graveyard, Cill Ura Thoir, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Burial Grounds

Graveyard, Cill Ura Thoir, Co. Kerry

Just south of Kildurrihy village on the Dingle Peninsula, a laneway cuts through a roughly oval patch of waste ground.

To a passing eye it registers as little more than neglected scrub, but this unremarkable strip of earth is what remains of Templebeg and Calluragh burial ground, known in Irish as An Teampall Beag agus An Cheallúnach, meaning the small church and the calluragh, a term for an old, often unconsecrated burial enclosure associated with early Christian communities.

When the Ordnance Survey recorded the site in its name books for the Ventry sheet, the picture was considerably fuller. The enclosure was described then as roughly circular, approximately 120 feet, or 36 metres, across, and partly retained by a stone wall. Inside, numerous graves and headstones were still visible, and the foundations of two rectangular buildings could be made out beneath the ground. Those foundations hint at a small ecclesiastical complex, the kind of modest early medieval church and associated structure that once served scattered rural parishes across the Corca Dhuibhne, the Dingle Peninsula. J. Cuppage's 1986 archaeological survey of the peninsula documented the site, capturing a moment when at least some physical fabric was still legible. What has happened to the wall, the headstones, and the foundation lines in the decades since is not recorded, and the laneway that now bisects the site north to south suggests the ground has been treated as functional rather than commemorated.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Graveyard, Cill Ura Thoir, Co. Kerry. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement