School: Seamar

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1. Kilkelly Cemetery and Saint Celsus

   

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   There is an old cemetery at the south end of the town of Kilkelly County Mayo, and in it are the ruins of an old church called the church of Saint Celsus. It is supposed that there was a monastery there long ago, and that the present adjoining gardens were part of the monastery grounds.

   There is a tradition that when Saint Celsus died an angel appeared to his friends and told them to carry his remains till they came to a place where they would find a grave open. When they came to Kilkelly, there beside the ash tree was an open grave and they buried him. They carried the coffin by means of twigs and when the coffin was lowered into the grave they threw the twigs aside. One of these took root in the cemetery of the graveyard and grew to be a whitethorn tree without thorns. This tree is there to the present day.
   It is said in the district that a man went to cut the tree once upon a time, but when he touched it with his axe it bled. Since then nobody has interfered with it.

   One wall of the ancient church still remains. It is said

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. historical and commemorative structures (~6,794)
            1. graveyards (~2,501)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mary Harrison

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Shammerdoo, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   Mrs Annie Harrison

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Shammerdoo, Co. Mayo