School: Cluainte (roll number 12404)

On this page

1. (no title)

   “There are three graveyards in Kilcoleman Parish...”

   

   Share Share Post

   There are three graveyards in Kilcoleman Parish but the people of Cloontia although they belong to Kilcoleman bury their dead in other graveyards. Some families bury in Carracastle which is four or five miles from the townland, others bury in Carrantample in the County Sligo about two miles from the district whilst others go to Mount Irwin three or four miles from them in County Sligo.

   There is the ruin of a church in Mount Irwin. In this graveyard no grave is made on Friday if there is a funeral for that day the grave must be dug on Thursday. On the walls of the ruin there are skulls which seem to have changed into stone. Nearly all the people called Finn in the townland of Cloontia are buried in Mount Irwin.

   Most of the people of Cloontia are buried in Carracastle it slopes to the east and is rectangular in shape.

   Carrantample is partly circular in shape. There is a ruin in it but all that remains is one gable covered with ivy. It is a very old graveyard one time there was a funeral there and there were flags found in a grave, there were ornamental lines running out to the edges in a uniform fashion they were examined and it was found that the ancient writing ogham was on them. They were put back very carefully into the grave again. There are underground flagged passages all round a little distance outside the graveyard and it is said that they were the hiding places of the priests who said mass in the penal times. There are very old tombstones to be seen one was

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Miss Winnie Mac Donnell

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Tawnaghbeg, Co. Mayo