Graveyards are very important places, both as a respectful resting place for our loved ones and as part of our valuable heritage. Older graveyards, even with the best efforts, erode over time and many of the older headstones become illegible. It is really important, therefore, to preserve the identity of those who are buried in these older graveyards, so that a permanent record exists alongside the vulnerable headstone.

West Cork has numerous old graveyards, many dating from the middle ages. With the support of the Heritage Council, a graveyard survey has been carried out of some of these old graveyards. The graveyards included in this survey were: Caheragh, Drimoleague, Drinagh, Creagh, Kilcoe, Aughadown as well as Abbeymahon and Chapel Lane Graveyards in Skibbereen. The marking of graves with headstones of all makes and sizes became popular from the late 17th century onwards so the majority of the transcriptions date from the early 1800s on. The survey involved photographing, mapping and transcribing the monuments as well as collecting any local knowledge relating to the graveyard and those buried in them. Skibbereen Heritage Centre is pleased to host a searchable database of the graveyards recorded by this project.

Skibbereen Heritage Centre has also transcribed the burial registers for some West Cork graveyards, which were kindly made available by Cork County Council. This database includes registers for: Abbeymahon, Abbeystrowry, Allihies, Ardagh, Ballymoney, Castlehaven, Coronea, Drimoleague, Durrus Island, Fanlobbus, Kilbarry, Kilcaskan, Kilmacabea, Rathbarry, Tullagh and Whiddy Island. The information made available on this website includes burial details such as name, date of death, date of burial and address. The original pages from the registers are also available to download in PDF format. Please note Skibbereen Heritage Centre does not hold the registers or any additional information on these sites, or on other graveyards in the area.

To search these databases please go to our Search Page

To find out more about the Graveyard projects including information on the locations of graveyards, the years covered by burial registers and to learn how to search this database visit our FAQ Page