County: Cork Site name: ROSSCARBERY: St Fachtna’s Cathedral, Townlands
Sites and Monuments Record No.: CO143-023001- Licence number: 03E0186
Author: Mary G. O’Donnell, Archaeological Services Unit, University College Cork
Site type: Church and Graveyard
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 528541m, N 536544m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.576896, -9.031002
A conservation programme under way at St Fachtna’s Cathedral, Rosscarbery, Co. Cork, recommended that essential maintenance work take place on the drainage around the cathedral, as groundwater was leading to deterioration of the fabric of the building. The present cathedral, which lies within a graveyard, was probably built in the mid-late 17th century, although it was extensively remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is reputedly on the site of an Early Christian monastery and replaced the 13th-century cathedral, much of which was destroyed in 1641.
Initially a test excavation was undertaken over two days, 10 and 11 February 2003. A series of trenches was excavated along the line of two early 19th-century drains designed to carry water away from the walls of the cathedral. The excavation showed that the drains were not working effectively and it was decided to replace them with modern equivalents, following the line of the older drains where possible.
During monitoring of the excavation of the new drain trenches in October and November 2003, some in situ burials were exposed and the affected portions of the burials were removed. The graves were aligned east–west and were located along the outside of the western gable end of the cathedral. In all, parts of thirteen burials were exposed and excavated. All appeared to be coffin burials and three were within stone-lined graves. Preliminary analysis indicates that the burials date to the late 17th/early 18th century.
The burials were bounded on the south side, under the present pathway into the cathedral, by a small ditch. A large post-hole cut into the ditch within the area of excavation may indicate that the entrance into the graveyard and church lay immediately to the west. A cobbled surface below the present ground surface may be associated with this.
The foundations of an earlier wall to the cathedral, probably the west wall of the original north transept, were also uncovered during the excavation of the new drain trenches.
