Outing to Ballinaclough graveyard

Silvermines Historical Society (SHS) organised an outing to the historic graveyard of Ballinaclough on Sunday, December 3 last.

Despite the gloomy mist and chilly temperatures, SHS member Denis Gleeson was met by a large attendance for the tour. In testament to the reverence of the occasion, both Fr Brendan Moloney, of Silvermines Parish and the Rev Keith Barry, Rector of Nenagh Church of Ireland, were in attendance on the day.

At the outset, Denis dedicated the talk to the late Tim Boland, local historian and SHS member, whose legacy of writings includes a book, ‘Father John Kenyon, the Rebel Priest’, as well as many articles on local history and contributions over the years to the SHS Mining the Past journal series.

The tour started at the entrance gate, which was manufactured by a local blacksmith, Pierce Grace in the 1860s. Pierce was noted to be a man of many talents and a fine athlete also. Pierce died in 1906 and while his son worked the forge for a while after his father’s death, he went on to earn a living from farming the land and his family continues to farm the land to this day.

The tour moved in towards the thirteenth century abbey, where everyone had a clear view of the west wall, which is adorned with an impressive Sheela-na-Gig. This historic feature only came to light when years of ivy growth was removed during renovations in the 1980s. There was much discussion on the resting places of various people of note including that of Samuel Binden, whose grave is inside the abbey walls and is among the oldest graves nationally.

May and Pat Hogan, who for many years lived in the lodge at the entrance to Kilboy, were well known to all and although there is no headstone at this grave, it was identified by an older parishioner some years back. Here, Denis explained to the group the importance and value of digitising the gravestone inscriptions for future generations. The SHS completed this mammoth task of recording and computerising the headstone inscriptions and locations within the graveyard and this parish data is now accessible worldwide at the website www.historicgraves.ie.

MORE THAN 400 YEARS A CEMETERY

It was noted that Ballinaclough graveyard was one of the oldest in the country still in use and has acted as a burial ground for over 400 years, with both Catholic and Church of Ireland graves located within the grounds. Moving around to the back of the abbey we came to the Church of Ireland burial grounds.

The prominent Clarke memorial has a high railing surrounding it. The family originated with Alexander Clarke, who was a vestry man and church warden in the adjoining church. Alexander died in February 1859. His youngest daughter Phoebe Clarke emigrated to Australia and in recent years her granddaughter Marilyn McCall from New South Wales visited Ballinaclough and with the help of locals, Dick Maher and Maura McLoughney, was able to find the last resting place of her forebears.

Then nearby is the headstone of Andrew Crawford, which is almost engulfed in hedging. Andrew had the distinction of serving as County Surveyor for North Tipperary for 46 years. He was appointed in 1845 and had to share with the Board of Works engineers the responsibility for supervising a workforce of 19,000 men on public works schemes (mainly roads) in the area. We can identify many of these famine roads in our area, which were likely supervised by Andrew. Denis noted also his delight that Rev Keith Barry, Rector, a direct descendant of Andrew, was present on the tour.

The tour stopped at the headstone for Nancy Scales, a much-liked and very well-known seamstress in the locality. She was a founding member of Ballinaclough Irish Country Women’s Association (ICA). Nancy grew up on the Going Estate in Traverstown before moving to Pollanorman, where she worked as a dressmaker making wedding, bridesmaids, confirmation and communion dresses. She died in February 1998 at the age of 87.

MINISTERED FOR 64 YEARS

The final stop on the tour was the church on site. The church was built in 1807. Dean Head was the first curate and ministered here for a remarkable 64 years. The church served the Church of Ireland community until its closure in 1979. It was observed that many of the wall plaques are dedicated to the Bayly family, who have been in Ballinaclough for over 300 years.

Denis noted that William Rowan Hamilton, the Royal Astronomer for Ireland, married local Helen Maria Bayly of the Bayly Farm in 1833 at the church on site. Hamilton, it was noted, had a brilliant mind and was knighted in 1835 for his service to science. He is most remembered for discovering Quaternions, a mathematical concept that is used today in computer graphics and satellite navigation. Hamilton also had a great love of poetry and on at least one occasion sent a piece of poetry to his good friend, William Wordsworth for review. After Helen accepted his proposal of marriage, he wrote ‘The Parting Kiss’, which was recited by Jack Bayly, a direct descendant of Rowan Hamilton’s wife Helen Maria Bayly.

The tour ended with all participants joining Father Brendan and the Reverand Keith in prayer to remember all those interred in the graveyard.

Silvermines Historical Society formed in 2012 and have published an annual journal up to 2023. Past issues of the journal can be ordered via their website https://silvermineshistoricalsociety.com. The society also hopes to publish again next year.