Killaghaunnapasty, Callow, Co. Galway

Co. Galway |

Burial Grounds

Killaghaunnapasty, Callow, Co. Galway

On a low natural rise in the farmland south of Callow Lough, a scattering of limestone boulders marks out rows of graves that most passers-by would take for a rough, unremarkable field.

What lies here is a cillin burial ground, sometimes also called a cillín or children's burial ground (CBG), a category of site found across Ireland where, historically, unbaptised infants and others excluded from consecrated ground were interred quietly, outside the formal structures of parish life. The place has no dramatic ruin, no tower, no legible inscription. Its significance is almost entirely in the arrangement of the stones.

The site measures roughly 18 metres long by 14 metres wide, slightly elevated above the surrounding field surface, with the limestone boulders inside aligned in rows oriented north to south, indicating individual graves. Fragments of a low enclosing wall survive along the northern and eastern sides, though much of the perimeter has worn away. The first edition Ordnance Survey six-inch map, produced in the mid-nineteenth century, recorded a roughly circular enclosure of around 20 metres diameter surrounding the area, but no surface trace of that outer boundary remains today. The name Killaghaunnapasty itself carries echoes of the Irish word for a small church or ecclesiastical enclosure, suggesting the site may have a longer devotional history than its current condition implies.

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 Killaghaunnapasty, Callow, Co. Galway. 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: 50 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement