The Story of Ballyhay Old Graveyard, Co. Cork

This graveyard is in the townland of Ballyhay, in the civil parish of Ballyhay, in the barony of Orrery and Kilmore.

 

Located on the west bank of the Awbeg River east of the N25 road, between Charleville and Buttevant. It is 3.5km south of Charleville and is approached by a short tree-lined avenue from the road to the west. 

 

There is a ruined church in the centre of the graveyard, built around 1200 by the Norman family De Cogan. It has been out of use since circa 1800.

 

The graveyard is irregularly-shaped. It is enclosed by a tree-lined earthen bank to the south and by a low stone wall elsewhere. There are graves dating to the 1780s and 1790s with many burial plots railed and walled.

 

A total of 332 memorials have been recorded.

 

Surnames recorded include Thompson, Sheedy, McDermott, Ryan, Brassill, Larkin, Cronin, Walsh, O’Connor, Clifford and Reidy.

 

Interesting facts

There is a 14th century effigy cemented to the east wall of the church. It is of a person and a dog.

 

One of the earliest memorials in the graveyard is to David Lynch who died on the 26th June 1758, aged 65. His wife Mary O’Daniel died 10th February 1766, aged 73, (Memorial no. 130). Another early memorial is to Daniel Murphy who died 10th February 1769, aged 6 (Memorial no.112).

 

Michael O’Donoghue served in the Royal Air Force during World War 2. He was an air gunner and a wireless operator. He died in an air crash in 1946, aged 22. On his headstone is the motto of the Royal Air Force, ‘Per Ardua Ad Astra’, which means ‘Through adversity, to the stars.' (Memorial no. 31/32).

 

Some members of the McDermott Family of Castlewrixon are buried in this graveyard. They bred valuable horses, such as ’Castlewrixon Wire’ and Castlewrixon Bell”. The name Castlewrixon in Irish is Crish na Owan, which means the cross by the river.