Graveyard, Naul, Co. Dublin
Co. Dublin |
Burial Grounds
In the village of Naul, on the southern bank of the river Delvin, a square graveyard of roughly thirty-four metres sits with its interior noticeably raised above the surrounding ground, the land dropping away toward the north.
That elevation is one of those quiet signals that something older lies beneath, layers of use compressed over centuries into a modest rise. The enclosing stone wall post-dates 1700, and an entrance gate at the south-east corner leads into a space that has been accumulating the dead, and the structures built to serve them, for a very long time.
The most visible historical layer is an eighteenth-century chantry chapel, a small endowed building originally intended for the saying of prayers for the souls of its founders, constructed by the Hussey family. It stands close to the footprint of an earlier medieval chapel, which was itself replaced by a Church of Ireland building erected in the nineteenth century in the southern quadrant of the graveyard. That church was demolished around 1940, leaving the Hussey chantry as the sole upstanding structure from earlier periods. The oldest grave-slabs, dated to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, are concentrated in the western and southern portions of the site. A possible holy well lies roughly 120 metres to the east, and the ruins of Naul Castle sit 65 metres to the north, meaning that this modest square of ground is practically surrounded by other layers of historical activity. The site was formally surveyed in 1992 by Egan.
Access is straightforward. A pedestrian entrance in the centre of the western wall leads into the older section of the graveyard, while the modern extension to the north-east has its own separate access point. The site is in active use, so the usual consideration applies when moving among newer graves. The raised interior and the remains of the Hussey chapel are most clearly appreciated from the western entrance, where the ground level difference becomes immediately apparent. Those interested in the broader cluster of monuments should allow time to locate the castle remains to the north, all within easy walking distance along the river.