An Atharla, Eochaill

Children's burial ground / Cillín

We have mentioned Cillíni (plural) previously on Megalithic Ireland, but only in association with other types of monument. The Catholic Church prohibited the burial of anyone unsuitable within consecrated grounds, sadly this included, primarily unbaptised children and stillborns, but also suicides, mentally disabled, shipwrecked sailors, criminals and even some famine victims. The babies were buried by the fathers and other male relatives after sundown, the mothers did not attend, there was a sense of shame that they allowed this to happen to their child. We cannot imagine the grief these women felt. A Cillín (singular) can also be called Calluragh, Caldragh, Ceallúrach, even Lisín, depending on which part of the country it is located, but I personally have not cme across the last name.

The burial ground at Eochaill know locally as An Atharla, really evokes a sense of abandonment and great sadness, as do most of the cillín I have come across. It sits on a rocky knoll overlooking the north coast of Inishmore, a sad part of our history that we are willing to forget. All that remains, apart from a number of plain stones peeping out of the grasses, are six crude, cross inscribed stones and a broken cross inscribed pillarstone, pictured below left. Nearby is Teampall Chiaráin.