14/06/2026
On the last of the for 2026, we wanted to share some information on our current work as archaeologist for the Old Kilskeagh Church and Graveyard project near Athenry in Co. Galway. Three years ago, we were approached to carry out an Archaeological Impact Assessment for a completely overgrown, inaccessible, and forgotten church and community graveyard in Kilskeagh, a site for which little was known about and which the community had had no access to for many decades. Three years later - following hundreds of hours of manual clearance work by a very small and dedicated team of local volunteers, continuing archaeological and ecological supervision and research by myself and ecologist John Lusby, grant assistance by The Heritage Council, and Lidar work by Paul Naessens - the work has uncovered an important medieval archaeological landscape and early modern complex which was previously unrecorded in the area.
This includes the ruins of a medieval church and a large number of foundations for previously unrecorded structures associated with either the medieval church or the early modern market town which previously existed in the area. The modern history of the site is also of particular significance for the local community, as the grounds were used as a community graveyard from at least the eighteenth century up to the mid twentieth century. The graveyard was also used as a cillín for local unbaptized children in its later decades.
Kilskeagh Church and Graveyard is a unique site, of significant importance in both the past and the present. Its past dates back to the medieval period, and potentially hundreds of years of reuse following that. However, its present importance is also linked to the former community graveyard on the site, which was in use up until the 1950s. The graveyard holds many simple stone-lined graves without inscriptions (many graves marked by worked stone from the medieval church ruins) which hold the family members of many people still living locally in the community. From the beginning, one of the main driving aims of the KILSKEAGH CHURCH & GRAVEYARD CUSTODIANS was to regain the public access to the graveyard and to tidy the grave sites, so that the community could once again visit and so that respect could again be afforded to this sacred site. In 2026, work continues to learn more about this fascinating site, and it's a privilege to be part of the team on this project as we continue to uncover the stories of this important landscape into the future.
