Hugginstown Graveyard (old), Parish of Hugginstown, county Kilkenny

There are two graveyards in Hugginstown.  Bernie and I surveyed the old graveyard in June 2015.    Bernie took all the pictures.  This graveyard, which surrounds a roofless church, has 202 memorials; some families still have burial rights in the old graveyard so it can not be regarded as closed for further burials. The church, St Brendan's,  was built circa 1800 and was in use until 1983; it was preserved as a ruin in 2001.

The graveyard entrance is accessed via impressive 19th century wrought iron gates with flanking wrought iron railings.  The old graveyard is beautifully maintained. 

The newer graveyard, which is known as the Calvary Cemetery, will form a subsequent blog posting and had 74 memorials in September 2015; the earliest memorial in the new graveyard is dated 1986. 

The earliest burial in the old graveyard as marked on a memorial is 1810, closely followed by 1814, 1817 and 1819.   There are six memorials bearing dates for the 1820s and 18 memorials bearing dates for the 1830s; these include four memorials with the date 1832 which was the year of the cholera.  There are only ten stones with dates for the 1840s and four stones bearing dates for the 1850s.  There was a fashion for some of the older memorials, particularly for the 1840s period, to have "supporter" stones to the left and right of the main stone, usually just carved with a cross and the initials of the erector of the main headstone; some of these have been removed from their "parent" headstone or have been replaced with one facing east and the other facing west.  This fashion for "supporter" stones can also be seen in Knockmoylan, another Catholic graveyard in the area.   There is a strong continuity of names in both the old and the new graveyard. These are Catholic burial grounds.




A very Catholic symbol, the Lamb of God, decorates this fairly late stone. The carving of the inscription is not of the best.  Look at the wobbly W of who and the  varying depth of the cutting of the letters. Still it is decorated with sprays of shamrock.  The hand that carved the Lamb of God is probably not the same hand that carved the inscription.

There are eleven memorials with poems and verses inscribed on the back of the stones; the majority of these memorials usually date from the 1830s with 2 dating from the 1840s just before the advent of the Famine. Another 2 memorials with poems on the back date from 1838 and 1854 and were sculpted by members of the Beck family of Thomastown.  Inscribing a poem or verse on the back of a memorial would cost the erector extra money and expense.  This would seem to indicate that some of the strong farmers around Hugginstown were not that short of money at the time.  Verses, or versions of verses, are copied from stone to stone or indeed from one graveyard to another in the area.

A beautifully carved verse on the back of No 6, a Holden of Hugginstown stone. Note the term "yous" and the ornate frame around the verse. The carving has been there since circa 1836.  This memorial commemorates members of this same family from 1814 until 2010.

Fairly standard verses are "Stay passengers, see where I lie, as yous (sic - this would have been exactly how this word was pronounced) are now so once was I, and as I am now so yous will be, so think on death and pray for me"  or  " Stand by dear friends, wipe off your tears, Here I must remain until Christ appears, and when He comes I mean to rise unto a life that never dies"

An unusual forged  iron Celtic cross inscribed Mrs Mary Moore, July 3rd 1916 aged 75 years. Dunnamaggan. RIP. The name of the blacksmith who made this memorial is unknown.

Index to names on the memorials
Aylward, Baldwin, Barden, Barron, Barry, Bolger, Bowe, Brenan, Brennan, Brett, Burke. Butler, Buttler, Byrne, Callanan, Carroll, Cassin, Cleary, Cloony, Cochlan, Cody, Comerford, Conway, Costello, Creamer, Cuddihy, Culleton, Dalton, Daniels, Darmody David, Deegan, Delahunty, Donovan, Doran, Dorney,  Dowling, Doyle, Dray, Drea, Duggan, Dungan, Dunphy, Dwyer, Egan, Farrell, Feehan, Fitzpatrick, Fitzgerald, Flinn, Foley, Forristal, Fowley, Gash, Gaule, Geary, Gorman, Grace, Grant, Ginsell, Irish, Haassey (sic), Hayes, Halloran, Hanrahan, Healy, Hearne, Heneberry, Henebery, Henebry,  Hewitson, Hickey, Holden, Jackman, Jordan, Joyce, Keaneally, Kearns, Keating, Kelly, Kennedy, Kennelly, Kenny, Kinsella, Laherty, Lahey, Lahy, Larkin, Lee, Lonergan, Long, Lonrigan, Loughlin, Lyons, Macauley, Mackey, Maher, Malone,  McBride, McCarthy, McGrath, McKenna, Millea, Moloney, Monahan, Moore, Moran, Morriss, Morrissy, Mulcahy, Murphy, Nary, Neill, Nolan, O'Carroll, O'Driscoll, O'Dwyer, O'Farrell, O'Gorman, O'Hanrahan, O'Keeffe, O'Leary, O'Neill,  O'Shea, Phelan, Power, Purcell, Quann, Rafter, Reid, Roche, Rochford, Rohan,  Ryan, St Leger, Scurry, Shea, Sullivan, Suttie, Tennyson, Thompson, Tobin, Touhy, Tovey, Treacy, Wall, Wallace, Walsh, Walshe, Whelan.

This stone is unusual for being completely in Irish; most stones are in English with a smattering of latin such as phrases like Requiescat in Pace.  This stone translates "Remember Michael O'Halloran, Teacher at Moonrue School and originally from the grey stone church of Cork City; he died in the month of May 1948 aged 82 years. Also Maire Eileen Dalton died December 1957 aged 12 years. His wife Brid died 14 December 1979".

Index to places mentioned on the memorials
Aghavillar, Aughavillar, Australia,  Ballaugh, Ballintee, Ballinteskin, Ballybooden, Ballybray, Ballyteskin, Ballygerdra, Ballygowan, Ballygown, Ballyhale, Ballyknock, Barnadown, Barristown, Baysrath, Birmingham, Blackbog, Boolaglass, Bollyglass, Brownstown, Callan, Carrickathnaw, Carrick at naw, Carrickatna, Carrick on Suir,  Carrickshock, Carrigeen, Castlebanny, Castlemorris, Castle Park, Catstown, Cattstown, Cherrymount, Colemore, Condonstown, Coolmore, Cork, Corrickshock, Cotterstown, Croan, Curragh Camp, Cyprus, Dublin, Dungarvan, Dunhill, Dunnamaggin, England, Gorue, Gorrue, Gowlawn, Gracedieu Rd, Grannagh, Hugginstown, Jerpoint Abbey, Keatingtown, Kilcasey, Kilkeasy, Kilcurl, Kildare, Kileavaw, Kilkenny, Knockmayland, Knockmoylan, Knocktopher, Kyle, Kyleva, Leicester, Lismatigue, Liverpool, Lower Hugginstown, Luke Wadding St,  Mabbitstown, Milerstown,  Monroe, Moonrow, Moonrue, Moonrough, Mount Juliet, Mullinavat, Mullinahone, Mylerstown, Newmarket, NSW, Old Court, Piltown, Powers Hill, Redgap, Roanmore Dairy, Sandpits, St Brendan's Church, Sheepstown, Stoneyford. Sydney, Thomastown, Tinvaun, UK, USA, Waterford, Westmoreland.




It is very interesting to examine the non standardised spelling of some of these place names.   Carrickathnaw, is also spelt Carrick at naw and Carrickatna.   Kyleva is also recorded on the memorials as Kileavaw, which is exactly how it is still pronounced but the unprepared might think it a completely different place.  The same can be said for Boolaglass and Bollyglass (actually the same place) and Monroe, Moonrow, Moonrue and Moonrough (again all the same place).  

Index to Masons who have carved stones in this graveyard
B & N Ltd., John St,,    Richard Beck of Thomastown,   Thomas Beck of Thomastown, 
J.Bergin, John St, Watd,    Gargan,     Gargan of Kilkenny,    Gargan McDonald of Waterford and Carrick on Suir,     Gready of Kilkenny,     Hoban of Kilkenny,   Kean of Watd,    Kennedy of Waterford,   Molloy of Callan,    Molloy of Callan and Dungarvan,    Mullan of Kilkenny,   O'Donnell of Philip St, Watd,    O'Donnell of Waterford,      O'Donnell of Waterford and Carrick on Suir,   O'Keeffe of Newgate Waterford,   O'Keeffe and Sons,    O'Keeffe and Sons, Waterford,           P O'Keeffe, Watd,    R. O' Keeffe, Watd,   O'Shea, Callan,    Michael Shea of Mullinahone,   White of Carrick on Suir. 
These spellings are exactly as recorded on the memorials. Watd seems to be the agreed abbreviation for Waterford.     Being so south in the county of Kilkenny, people here are looking towards Waterford City or Callan for their masons but a good few are also travelling as far as Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary and even Mullinahone in Tipperary to acquire their memorials.  There would, of course, be a reason for travelling as far as Carrick-on-Suir or Mullinahone, Tipperary for a memorial to be made and this might well be wrapped up in the family history.

Very fine and deep carving on a signed stone by Richard Beck of Thomastown. The entire scroll reads "Gloria in Excelsis Deo".   Note the angel with feathered wings; the angel represents the soul of the person commemorated by the stone flying away to Heaven. If you look carefully you will see two little legs amongst the feathers as if the soul is hovering between this world and the next before flying away. This memorial was erected by Edmond Power of Condonstown in memory of his daughter Elenor Power who depd (departed) this life June the 22nd 1838 aged 10 years. Also his father David Power who depd this life 26thJune 1814 aged 67 years.  On the back it reads " I am dead and sleeping here. RIP".

The new Catholic church,  known as The Holy Trinity Church is on the opposite side of the road.
There is a commemorative memorial immediately outside the graveyard on a wall to the right of the entrance. 

Commemorating the War of Independence 1916-1921