Dr Séamus Ó Murchú
Carlow Historical and Archaeological Society

“Great Balls of Fire”; Survey, Conservation and Folklore at Knockaunarelic Burial Ground, Pollerton Little, Carlow

Knockaunarelic is a burial ground located in the townland of Pollerton Little to the northeast of Carlow Town. One of the earliest references to the site is found in the Ordnance Survey Letters of County Carlow (1839). Once an important cemetery serving Carlow Town and environs, the site was closed in the mid-20th century under changes in the sanitation laws. In subsequent years, the site became overgrown despite its prominence in local folklore. A clean up was carried out in the 1990’s and again in 2010 however, nature soon took hold again each time. In 2018, funding was secured from Creative Ireland, Carlow County Council and Carlow Historical and Archaeological Society to make the site fully accessible, to survey and record the headstones and to implement a long-term conservation plan. Several features of archaeological interest were identified in the course of the works. An important element of the project was to document the folklore associated with the site and the surrounding area which was once open, rural agricultural land but is now being enveloped by urban expansion. This folklore includes accounts of friars, the Knights Hospitallers, memories of burials in the early 20th century and fireballs amongst many other harbingers of death.
https://historicgraves.com/graveyard/knockaunarelic/cw-pnle

​Séamus is a native Carlovian and Secretary of Carlow Historical and Archaeological Society. He completed a PhD in University College Dublin (2016) entitled The Blackstairs Mountains, South East Ireland; Investigating the Archaeological Potential of an Understudied Upland Landscape. His research interests include upland landscapes, the post-medieval period, agriculture and folklore. He works as an Archaeologist in the Forest Service Inspectorate of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.