The Story of Athlacca Old graveyard, Co. Limerick

This Church of Ireland Church and adjoining Graveyard are in the townland of Athlacca South and part of the Dromin/Athlacca parish, in the barony of Cosma. The church and graveyard are located in the village of Athlacca, south of the Morning Star river. This river flows into the Maigue River immediately west of the townland and west again is the N20 route Charleville to Limerick City. The graveyard can be located by heading east from the village of Bruree on the R518, taking the first road to the left. The ruins and associated graveyard are set back from the road and are approached by a straight path, passing through the modern cemetery which is laid out in rectangular sections, divided by concrete paths. 

 

The name Athlacca means ‘ford of the flagstones’ (Logainm.ie) and refers to the crossing of the Morning Star river prior to the current St. Catherine’s Bridge in the village. 

 

The church was built in 1923, on the site of an earlier medieval Church (Westropp, 1904-5). It has been out of use since the 1940’s. All that remains of the church are a tower, steeple and a gable wall. The square tower is well preserved and supports a hexagonal stone spire which has a finial in the shape of a ball at its pinnacle. The walls are constructed of roughly dressed sandstone with cut limestone string courses. A shallow pointed doorway is located in the north wall of the tower, now blocked up and in use as a grotto to the Blessed Virgin Mary (National Inventory of Architectural heritage.ie). 

 

A total of 53 memorials were recorded in the graveyard, dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. An exception is a recumbent slab to the memory of the Lacey family lies near the tower. It commerorates David, John and Thomas Lacy and dates to 1623. Eight memorials are dated to the 18th century. The earliest date recorded was on the headstone marking the burial place of John Kelly who died in 1743, aged 58 years, (memorial no. 0027). Mary Nash died in 1747 aged 19 years, (memorial no. 0025).

 

Surnames recorded included Webb, Bolster, Harte Mason, Wallish, Willis, Casey, Harding, Benson, Nash, White, Shanahan, O’kelly and Vaughan.

Interesting Facts

A record of Ireland’s landed estates and historic houses, c.1700-1914 are on a database, available online. At the time of Griffith's Valuation (1847-1864), William Harte Mason held the townland of Cooleen, near Bruree, amounting to 88 acres. The buildings were valued at £12 (Landedestates.ie). Their house was not very far east of the Harte house at Coolrus. In 1865, this house went up for sale, but as a result of insufficient bidding, was subject to an annuity of £400 ‘for the life of a lady aged 49 years' ! 

The Mason, Naish, Harte and Johnson families were all related through marriage.

 

According to Lewis’s Topographical Dictionary Of Ireland 1837, Maidstone Castle which is located Northwest of Dromin graveyard is reputed to have been the birthplace of Daniel Webb, (1718/19-1798) author of ‘The Harmonies of Poetry and Music’ and ‘An Inquiry into the beauties Of Painting’ (1760). A John Webb who died in 1772 is buried here in Athlacca graveyard and may be a relative.

 

18th Century memorials in Athlacca

0006 William Harding 1766

0016 Edmond Connors 1782

0021 John Webb 1772

0025 Mary nash 1747

0026 John kelly 1794

0027 John Kelly 1743

0032 margaret Casey 1794

0036 William Wallish 1780