Grave Yard, Granabeg, Co. Wicklow

Co. Wicklow |

Burial Grounds

Grave Yard, Granabeg, Co. Wicklow

On a west-facing slope in Granabeg, County Wicklow, there is a graveyard with no visible entrance.

The enclosure is roughly quadrangular, its boundary formed by a low, tumbled stone wall, and the only way in, if there ever was a formal one, has left no trace. The interior is stony and uneven, the kind of ground that suggests long disuse rather than careful maintenance. A forestry track has since encroached on the northwestern corner, quietly eroding whatever edge the site once had there.

The enclosure measures approximately 35 metres on its longest axis, northwest to southeast, and narrows from around 17 metres at the southeast end to 12 metres at the northwest. It was recorded as 'Grave Yard' on the Ordnance Survey six-inch map of 1838, which tells us it was already recognised as such by the time the first systematic mapping of Ireland was underway, though it offers no clue as to who was buried there or when the site fell out of use. What adds a further layer of interest is a standing stone, an inscribed stone pillar, located roughly 200 metres to the west. Inscribed pillars of this kind are relatively rare survivals, sometimes bearing early medieval markings, and the proximity of this one to the graveyard raises quiet questions about the site's age and the broader ritual or ceremonial landscape it may once have formed part of.

The site sits on sloped ground and the encroachment of the forestry track means it is not entirely intact, but the tumbled wall is still present on most sides. The inscribed pillar to the west is catalogued separately and would repay attention on any visit to the area.

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Pete F
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