Cillín

The Irish word cillín comes from the word cill (meaning "church" or "churchyard") combined with the diminutive suffix -ín. In Ireland, a cillín can also be called a caldragh, calluragh, cealltrach, ceallúrach and lisín, depending upon the location of the site within Ireland. English versions of cillíní include: cill burial grounds, kyle burial grounds, killeens and children's burial grounds.^[1]

The types of locations used for these unconsecrated grounds include: abandoned graveyards and churches, castle ruins, ancient earthenworks and megalithic cairns. The name cillín is used primarily in Ulster.^[2] As of 2013, there were approximately 1,440 known children's burial grounds in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including 500 sites listed in County Galway and 250 sites in County Kerry.^[1]^[3]

In the early Christian Church, the baptism of a newborn baby was of primary importance. In some regions, but not all regions, the Catholic Church prohibited the burial of unbaptized babies in consecrated graveyards.^[4]^[5] It is not known when people began to use separate burial grounds in Ireland. There is no historical evidence that supports the use of alternative burial grounds during the early medieval period. The earliest historical reference to the use of cillíní in Ireland was in 1619. It has been theorized that cillíní were established during this time period as a result of strict reforms implemented by the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation regarding unbaptized infants, and continued to be used until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.^[2]^[3]

Sixteen cillíní were excavated in Ireland from 1966 to 2004. The findings from the excavations revealed that these sites dated from the mid-1500s to mid 1800s.^[3] Historical evidence has shown that cillíní were carefully selected. Areas with a previous religious function were often used because of the idea of the sacred nature of the site. A characteristic of many cillíní burials were the placement of white quartz pebbles along with other stone pebbles on the child's grave. Quartz had been used in monastic burials in Great Britain, and may have held a special significance for honoring or cherishing the dead.^[3] There is historical evidence that cillíní burials were a respectful process. Graves were often surrounded by stones to mark their outline. Some children were carefully placed during burial, either lying on their back or their sides. In some locations, there were coffin burials or graves lined with stones.^[3]^[2]

The study of 19th century maps, local histories, and interviews with community elders have helped preserve the location of many cillíní, but as people moved away from small towns, many of these sites were lost. In the 19th century, many of the burial sites were destroyed and converted to farmland. Legislation enacted in Ireland in the mid-1800s's had a profound impact on cillíní burials. The 1863 Act for the Registration of Births and Deaths in Ireland, obligated parents to register the birth and death of their children. There would be no more hidden burials without the penalty of a fine. Priests were also undergoing change by the late 1800s. There are examples of new arrangements being made at the end of cemeteries to accommodate the burial of unbaptized children.^[1]

Cillíní are now recognized as a class of archaeological monument. They have attracted the attention of archaeologists and historians, and have been the subject of study and archaeological excavations throughout Ireland.^[2] There has also been recent interest in the depiction of such sites in Irish literary texts such as Tom Murphy's play Bailegangaire and Mary Leland's novel The Killeen (both from 1985).^[6] Today, many towns and villages in Ireland are recovering human remains from cillíní and moving these once excluded individuals to consecrated churchyards. Other sites remain intact, and have been consecrated by special religious ceremonies.^[7] In August 2014, at St. Patrick's Church in Cushendun, a religious ceremony led by the parish priest and attended by many in the community, celebrated the reburial of 19 children's skeletons. The children's remains were discovered during an archeological excavation at Castle Carra, near Cushendun.^[1]

Definition and alternative names

History

List of selected cillín sites

See also

References

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