This cemetery dates back hundreds of years and is no longer in use. The correct name of the site is Kilmesantan, the church of Santan, a bishop who is named in the ancient Book of Leinster. The cemetery and ruined church is located on the eastern slopes overlooking the Upper Lake in Glenasmole Valley. The only portion of the old church still standing is a part of the south east wall. Bricks from the old church are distributed throughout amongst upstanding gravestones, reclined slabs, and ivy-clad headstones. The cemetery is in a very picturesque location. It is accessed from the Glassamucky Road via a short green laneway banked on each side by old hawthorn bushes. The green lane then opens out into an open field which leads to the gates of the cemetery. From this position, the cemetery has a very scenic backdrop of the reservoir lakes in the valley and the rising mountain slopes behind. |
