Irish Christian era 1600 - 1800

Ash.J.Williams

I have been baffled by some christian ruins around my locality, i often wondered how they could fall into such a state and eventually vanish. Also how some graveyards can be ignored and over grown and not have any records...
Most of these plots appear to be on an off the beaten track pilgrim route to glendalough. More ecomomical roads have sprung up over the last 200 hundred years further isolating these areas.
Last night i was reading and a reason for this jumped off the page, that quite simply the catholic faith was outlawed and these christian settlements were stood down, mass and worship moved to private dwellings and in that time our ecomomy moved on and these areas became isolated. It may sound obvious, but when you see a graveyard or ruins (castles we called them as kids) in a field with no road or entrance..the mind tends to wonder! Sorry if this post has no point!!

Festus

You answered your own question so whatever point will need a little teasing out.

Perhaps the point is to remind us from time to time of what can happen when ignorance is allowed take hold.

Ignorance of God
Ignorance of Culture
Ignorance of Christs teaching

Perhaps even ignorance of history. These could be viewed as the original ghost estates or ghost parishes and a reminder of what can happen when Christs truth is dismissed by design, choice or oppression.

Ash.J.Williams

and considering some of these graveyards were to bury pilgrims along the way to Glendalough, one could get an idea of the hardship involved in such a journey, compared to now, when you could drive there and back from Dublin in an hour now with the radio on and think of absolutely nothing!