Cappagh Old church and Graveyard Traditional Cache

This site consists of the substantial ruins of a church to which a south transept was added at some later date and both gables survive although are covered with Ivy and so hard to see.Please park at the Dunmullan orange hall at the crossroads, and walk to the cache as the roadside at the graveyard is too narrow to allow parking.   The cache is situated in a safe and obvious location outside the graveyard, so entry to the graveyard isn't necessary, but please take care when inside as the church itself is very ancient  On the southeast corner there are finely carved chamfered quoins. The name Cappagh derives its name from An Ceapach, meaning 'the tillage plot'.



The main body of the church dates to the sixteenth century but this site may have been used as a church site since the Early Christian Period.   With references to worship there being found dating to the 1400’s.

This excerpt was taken from the Cappagh (RC) Parish website.  “Earliest ecclesiastical settlement was in Dunmullan or Cill Mhor. Killmore as the Civil Survey calls it. The old church in Dunmullan dates back to the early 1400’s giving Cappagh over 600 years of church history”.  The confusing thing when reading the history of this church is that in present day there is a Catholic Parish called Cappagh and also a Church of Ireland Church called Cappagh.  It is easy to get confused and assume that this church was a Protestant church since Cappagh Church of Ireland is only a few miles down the Road. However since this church was pre reformation it was of course originally a Catholic Church as it is impossible to have a Protestant Church before the Protestants Protested.  In the post reformation period this church changed into to Protestant church and Catholics in Cappagh celebrated Mass on Mass Rocks such as Cullion Mass Rocks. Mass was also celebrated in Carnoney and in Cannings on the Gortin road.  This church therefore has links with The Catholic Parish of Cappagh and also Cappagh Church of Ireland Parish church.



A bell associated with this Parish, known as the Cappagh Bell, is held in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin.



In the transept was a coat of arms with a sow and litter of pigs.  Legend has it that a person buried in this graveyard was raised by pigs as a baby after their parents died. The person then loved pigs so much that they opted to be buried with one of their pigs and have a carving of a pig on their gravestone.  This Legend may or may not be true as I cannot find any reference to it elsewhere and it is only what I have been told by the locals in the area. Unfortunately this coat of arms was stolen from the graveyard, though a photograph of it is on the information board outside.