Abstract
Research into unconsecrated children’s burial grounds (cillíní) has steadily increased in the last two decades, particularly within academia but also in grassroots campaigns and commercial archaeology. While one of the focuses has been on the Medieval influences behind cillíní distribution, origins and usage, it is only within the last decade that research has shifted towards understanding the Post-Medieval and Early Modern influences on their origins, locations and usage.By using a combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) landscape analyses, oral history fieldwork, analysing the Ordnance Survey (OS) and archaeological archival resources, and researching the social, economic and religious historical context of nineteenth-century Ireland, this thesis demonstrates how a multidisciplinary approach can be implemented to further understand where this archaeological site type exists in the landscape and how the sites were used (and in some cases abandoned) in the nineteenth-century. These findings will give researchers and the public a better understanding of the influences on cillíní distribution in three case study counties and discuss how that research can be used in other counties across Ireland.
Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2027.
| Date of Award | Jul 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Sponsors | Royal Irish Academy & Queen's University Belfast |
| Supervisor | Eileen Murphy (Supervisor) & Colm Donnelly (Supervisor) |
Keywords
- children's burial grounds
- Cillíní
- unbaptised children
- GIS
- Oral history
- landscape Archaeology
- ordnance survey
- Ireland
- Northern Ireland
- Fermanagh
- Antrim
- Meath
- Archaeology
- folklore