Aglish

(Dr. Willie Nolan)

Aglish graveyard is situated 3 miles east of Gortnahoe village in the townsland of Graigueheeshia.  The graveyard is untypical in being round in shape.  Its diameter is 120ft.  A wet moat inside the bank is 16ft. wide, although a lot of the bank has been eroded.  Aglish is most probably an early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure.  Its size, a bullaun stone and the presence of an anciet water well, would favour this conclusion.  The well at the site, known as Simon’s well, is circular about 1 meter in diameter and is now dry.  Lying flat beside the wall close there are two slabs 1.2 meters long. One is inscribed

IHS/This is erected/at the well/in memory of/St. Pussawn/born place/of pilgrimage/ / / 1772.

There is another well-like feature 4 metres away which is also dry.  On the other side of the road are the remains of an enclosure about 100metres in diameter.  There is a slight heap of stones, 7metres maximum in width, within the enclosure. This is thought to be an altar.  It is of limestone, apart from a bullaun stone at the centre which is made of granite.  It has 3 basins in it, possibly used for grinding corn.