Burial ground, Coolcoulaghta, Co. Cork

Co. Cork |

Burial Grounds

Burial ground, Coolcoulaghta, Co. Cork

In a pasture on a south-west-facing slope in Coolcoulaghta, West Cork, a small rectangular plot sits quietly in the landscape, its boundaries marked less by stonework than by the slow encroachment of overgrowth and a scatter of grave markers.

Measuring roughly fourteen metres long by just over eight metres wide, it is modest even by the standards of rural Irish burial grounds, which were often informal, localised, and tied to communities long since dispersed or forgotten.

Small unofficial burial grounds of this kind are not uncommon in the Irish countryside. Many were associated with particular families, with land that had once held a chapel, or with the tradition of burying unbaptised infants in unconsecrated ground, a practice that left behind plots sometimes called cillíní. Without more detailed historical records it is difficult to say which of these functions, if any, this particular ground served, but its rectangular shape and the presence of at least some grave markers suggest it was used for ordinary burial rather than being purely a penitential or marginal site. The south-west-facing aspect of the slope would have been considered favourable in many rural traditions, associated with light and the direction of the setting sun.

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 Burial ground, Coolcoulaghta, Co. Cork. 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