Graveyards are very important places, both as a respectful resting place for our loved ones and as part of our valuable heritage. Older graveyards, even with the best efforts, erode over time and many of the older headstones become illegible. It is really important, therefore, to preserve the identity of those who are buried in these older graveyards, so that a permanent record exists alongside the vulnerable headstone.

West Cork has numerous old graveyards, many dating from the middle ages. With the support of the Heritage Council, a survey has been carried out of some of these old graveyards. The graveyards included in this survey were: Caheragh, Drimoleague, Drinagh, Creagh, Kilcoe, Aughadown and the two graveyards in Chapel Lane, Skibbereen. The marking of graves with headstones of all makes and sizes became popular from the late 17th century onwards so the majority of the transcriptions date from the early 1800s on. The survey involved photographing, mapping and transcribing the monuments as well as collecting any local knowledge relating to the graveyard and those buried in them.

Skibbereen Heritage Centre is pleased to host a searchable database of the graveyards recorded by this project.
To search these records please go to our Search Page

To find out more about the Graveyard project and to learn how to search this database visit the FAQ Page

Update November 2012: The project team are delighted to announce we have added three new graveyards to the site; Caheragh Old Graveyard, Abbeymahon and Chapel Lane Graveyards in Skibbereen. Also for the first time "unmarked" graves and "un-inscribed" individuals are available to search on the site. Thank you to everyone who helped with the 2012 survey.