Abbeystrewry Graveyard

The santicity of this ground can not be out into words. To stand at the door of the mass famine grave and have a quiet moment is very moving. It puts into focus the enormity of the famine in very real terms. This was the height of British cruelity towards the Irish when you consider there was an enormous amount of beef, butter, and grain being extracted for British markets. The sins if British imperialism lay bare on this hallowed ground. Best seen in conjunction with the famine museum in town.

It seems slightly incongruous to give this most moving of sites an excellent rating considering what it is. But, it is a must visit to appreciate what Skibbereen and wider Ireland suffered during the famine years.

If you look down on the graveyard from the rear road (where we parked) you will instantly notice an area in complete contrast to the rest of the graveyard. If you didn’t know you would just think it was an immaculately maintained large area of grass. It is exactly that, but also the site of the mass burial of famine victims of the 1840s.

Take time to read the memorial and stand and try to imagine the pain and sorrow these people went through. Its an amazingly moving experience for anyone and maybe more so for those of us who are of Irish descent.

It is about a mile or so out of Skibbereen behind a long wall on the right if leaving the town or left if coming in. You can turn off the main road at a couple of exits and park behind the graveyard.

Visit Skibbereen Heritage Centre first to get better understanding of the story of this town which was the hardest hit by the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s.
Make sure you read the incredibly moving monuments at the Mass Grave area of the cemetery .

Not only the graveyard is placed in superb location, it is the site where 9000 victims from the Great Famine were buried. Worth a visit.

In this cemetery, which is about 2 kilometers out of town, lies about 9,000 souls that were victims of the Great Famine of 1845 to 1850. The bodies were simply thrown in here. No names. No coffins. No ceremony. It is a very moving place. The simplicity and the horror tends to overwhelm the visitor. Must see place if in this area of County Cork.

We visited Abbeystrewery twice during our recent visit. It helps to have read about the great Potato Famine to appreciate the full horror of the history of this site, but the various memorials here also bring this home. The Cemetery is the site of burial pits where the bodies of between 8 and 10,000 starved people were tipped in the late 1840s. Inevitably this casts a bleak shadow over the site, which is otherwise rather beautiful. It also contains several fine and characterful decorative wrought iron memorials which add a touching and interesting contrast to the stones.

My son and I decided to do the trail that was given to us by the skibbereen heritage centre we managed to get to a few of them. Even though I was taught about the famine in school to see the Mass Graves really brought it home, even my 12 year old had a tear in his eye!
Beautiful inscription on the stones of the monument near the mass burial.

We were directed to this graveyard by the bartender at Cahalane’s shortly after arriving in Skibbereen. It was a beautiful afternoon for a walk along the River Ilen and across to the graveyard, and he told us to use the gate at the back as it was safer due to traffic. Walking around the grounds, you’ll encounter tombstones from all eras as well as the large green area that was used as a mass grave for up to 10,000 famine victims and memorials to them. It’s a very moving experience and quite sad to think of all the lives lost. If you would like further context, you may want to visit the museum in town and learn about the famine and how Skibbereen was affected so terribly by it.

Go to the exhibition in Skibereen first to get the full account of the tragic and unforgivable events which led to the creation of this poignant and moving place.
It is not hard to find simply follow the N71 main road out of Skibereen to the West. However do not park on the N71, in stead turn right up the small road immediately before the cemetery, where there is ample safe parking. An entry gate above the cemetery provides access.
Once inside, one can only ponder on the moving inscriptions and a site that is equivalent in scale, misery and culpability to a concentration camp. And, remember that similar things are happening in our century, and not far from our back door.