The Story of Fanningstown Graveyard, Co. Limerick

This graveyard is in the townland of Fanningstown, in the parish of Fedamore and in the Barony of Smallcounty. The townland lies north of Crecora village and north of Fedamore. It is dissected by the R511. The name Fanningstown comes from ‘Baile An Fhaininigh’, meaning the town of the Fannings, from the Irish surname Fainin (Logainm.ie).

The graveyard is set back from the road and is accessed via a narrow track and across fields. We usually park before the farmhouse.

 

The graveyard is enclosed by a substantial slightly curving, post-1700 wall. Besides the main entrance, there is a double stile in the corner to the left. A sign attached to the wall states that the graveyard is closed to burials except to those who own existing plots.  The graveyard measures 32m N-S x 47m E-W.

 

A medieval church once stood on this site, but there is little trace of it now. In 1840, the Ordnance Survey recorded  that the church ruins ‘ lie in the north side of the graveyard’. It measured 12m x 5m approximately, with the walls only measuring .5 m in height. O’Kelly (1943, 224) wrote that the church and graveyard were known as Templeroe, probably because it was erected by the Templars.

 

A total of 34 memorials were recorded. Of these, two date to the late 18th century. 

Surnames included Keane, Clohessy, Kelly, Boland, Boyle, Clampett, Gleeson, Shehan, Sheedy and O’Callaghan.

 

18th Century Memorials in Fanningstown Graveyard

The oldest memorial recorded commemorates Johanna Hogan who died in 1785, aged 22. ( Memorial no.025).

A recumbent slab (memorial no.013) commemorates Thomas Herbert Esq. of Fanningstown. He died in 1799, aged 45 years. 

George Boyle, (memorial no. 0013) died in 1786. 

 

 

O’Kelly (1943) recorded a memorial to Michael Keane. He died in 1768, aged 33 but this memorial could not be found. (Archaeology. ie).