Help reading gravestone inscription please

Alicat

Hope some of you eagle-eyed posters might be able to help me read this gravestone Can't seem to copy the image to get a better look at it.

Here

The man down the end of the stone, Denis Duggan, is my relative so I'd love to know what the rest of it says. I can make out 'Sullivan' which I know is a name in the family.

bumper234

Alicat wrote: »

Hope some of you eagle-eyed posters might be able to help me read this gravestone Can't seem to copy the image to get a better look at it.

Here

The man down the end of the stone, Denis Duggan, is my relative so I'd love to know what the rest of it says. I can make out 'Sullivan' which I know is a name in the family.

Have you tried taking a charcoal rubbing of it? Might make it easier to read.

Alicat

If I wasn't all the way up in Dublin, I would!

tanoralover

Erected by
Mary Sullivan alias Callaghan
In memory of her beloved husband
J..... late of Coribally
.... and .... her ....
who departed? .....

That's as far as I could get. Corbally had 2 Sullivan households in 1901 and 1911.

bumper234

Alicat wrote: »

If I wasn't all the way up in Dublin, I would!

Where in Dublin is it?

Waitsian

bumper234 wrote: »

Where in Dublin is it?

The OP is in Dublin. The graveyard is in Cork, near Buttevant and Mallow.

Waitsian

bumper234 wrote: »

Have you tried taking a charcoal rubbing of it? Might make it easier to read.

I always find white flour best.

bumper234

mod9maple wrote: »

The OP is in Dublin. The graveyard is in Cork, near Buttevant and Mallow.

My apologies i misread, Maybe a friendly bordsie in Cork who may be close could help op out?

Jellybaby1

I have found a splash of water works wonders in reading old gravestones. If you know someone who could visit the grave with a spray bottle of plain water, or on a rainy day. I had the same problem recently and it worked wonders. The words appeared like magic!

lottpaul

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I have found a splash of water works wonders in reading old gravestones. If you know someone who could visit the grave with a spray bottle of plain water, or on a rainy day. I had the same problem recently and it worked wonders. The words appeared like magic!

A can of the cheapest shaving foam works wonders - spray it thinly on the stone and then use a cloth to wipe it off. The foam will remain in any indentation and inscriptions can easily be read.

Alicat

tanoralover wrote: »

Erected by
Mary Sullivan alias Callaghan
In memory of her beloved husband
J..... late of Coribally
.... and .... her ....
who departed? .....

That's as far as I could get. Corbally had 2 Sullivan households in 1901 and 1911.

Oh I hate getting a Mary! Nightmare to track them down with a name as common as Mary. Thank you for that!

Good tips everyone, seasoned graveyard hunters I see

Waitsian

mod9maple wrote: »

I always find white flour best.

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I have found a splash of water works wonders in reading old gravestones.

lottpaul wrote: »

A can of the cheapest shaving foam works wonders - spray it thinly on the stone and then use a cloth to wipe it off.

A caveat - this issue causes great controversy across the genealogical world. Look it up - there are a lot of arguments! :eek:

Many argue against using any substance on the headstone; some even argue against rubbings on very old ones. Apparently the safest method is using tin foil. Or extreme light.

The comments section after this blog post is well worth reading. After that, it's up to each individual as to how to proceed.

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2011/08/controversy-how-to-read-unreadable-tombstones.html

Jellybaby1

We should also be considerate of what the caretakers of the graveyard will allow. I have only used water because the stones get wet with rain anyway and it can't do any harm and no-one would ban me from the graveyard for using it.

slowburner

mod9maple wrote: »

A caveat - this issue causes great controversy across the genealogical world. Look it up - there are a lot of arguments! :eek:

Many argue against using any substance on the headstone; some even argue against rubbings on very old ones. Apparently the safest method is using tin foil. Or extreme light.

The comments section after this blog post is well worth reading. After that, it's up to each individual as to how to proceed.

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2011/08/controversy-how-to-read-unreadable-tombstones.html

And a well timed caveat too.
Headstones are priceless and vulnerable documents - adding any substance could increase the pace of erosion or encourage the growth of algae and/or lichens, making the inscription more difficult to read in the future.
Repeated rubbings could also have long term consequences.
Without doubt the best way to read a headstone is to get there a little before the sun is at 90º to the east face of the stone (the inscription is supposed to be on the side facing the rising sun).
The Heritage Council has an excellent publication on the care of (historic) graveyards, for anyone interested in the subject.
http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/archaeology/publications/article/archaeological-features-at-risk-a-survey-measuring-recent-destruction-of-irelands-archaeological/?L=0%2Fgrants%2Farchitecture-research-gbant%2Fbuildings-at-ris..&tx_ttnews

Brennans Row

slowburner wrote: »

Without doubt the best way to read a headstone is to get there a little before the sun is at 90º to the east face of the stone (the inscription is supposed to be on the side facing the rising sun).

I can second that, as I once observed by chance that the morning sun shining on an old gravestone greatly enhances its legibility.

CassieManson

Alicat wrote: »

Hope some of you eagle-eyed posters might be able to help me read this gravestone Can't seem to copy the image to get a better look at it.

Here

The man down the end of the stone, Denis Duggan, is my relative so I'd love to know what the rest of it says. I can make out 'Sullivan' which I know is a name in the family.

Have you looked at this website which contains details of lots of gravestones. It seems to cover Cork pretty well.

http://historicgraves.com/graveyards

Alicat

Yup, that's the site that I linked to in my first post!