© Killeely graveyard
Also in the parish is Killeely graveyard, which is situated
on the road to Parteen, across from St Lelia's church. This graveyard
is now surrounded by a housing estate.
According to Spellissy, there is a man buried in the graveyard called
John Meany who was believed to have fathered 89 children. In the 1960s
the graveyard was used as a children's burial ground. The graveyard is
the only remaining link with the parish of the same name that once extended
from outside the city walls to the hills of Cratloe.
© Killeely graveyard
It began to fall into disuse after 1884 when Mount St Laurence
graveyard was opened. Space in Killeely graveyard was at a premium. People
alleged that dogs were seen prowling around the graveyard in the night.
Despite this, many locals still wanted to be buried in the area and thus
Killeely graveyard was still in use in the early 1900s. In recent years,
Limerick Corporation has cleaned up the graveyard.
The oldest headstone that we came across was dated from 1735 and was
to the memory of Mary Creagh, who died on 7 February of that year at the
age of 70. In the graveyard, there are a large number of headstones that
are illegible to read due to the passage of time.
© Memorial Stone to Sylvester O'Halloran
Also buried in the graveyard is Sylvester O'Halloran. O'Halloran
was a man of many talents; he was a surgeon, a historian, an antiquarian
and a patriot. He was a native of Caherdavin, which was then in the parish
of St Munchin's. In 1774 he wrote "A General History of Ireland"
and followed this up with "A History of Ireland" in 1803. In
the medical field, O'Halloran specialised in brain and eye surgery and
developed a new method of treating cataracts. He died in 1807 and the
inscription on his headstone reads "His country's honours and good
name ever found him a ready and unflinching champion. Erected by the St
Senan's Historical Society."
© Pauper's graveyard, Killeely
There is also a pauper's graveyard, which is now called
St Brigid's cemetery. A large timber cross marks the site. There are no
headstones in the graveyard. This cemetery was used during the Famine
as Killeely graveyard became overcrowded. Locals sometimes refer to the
graveyard as the Yellow Hole. The name may have come about due to people
in the area dying from yellow fever during the Famine.
 
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