RAGH CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD HAS MANY UNIQUE FEATURES.THE SEVEN STEPS LEADS TO THE FIRST OF TWO FIELDS TO BE CROSSED TO GET TO THE SITE
ON THE WAY YOU WILL PASS THE MOATE OF RAGH IN THE SECOND FIELD.FROM THIS MOATE THE VIEW OF THE SURROUNDING AREA IS SUPERB AND THE MOATE IS MENTIONED IN A FAMOUS POEM WRITTEN IN THE 1800'S.
'YOU CAN SEE THURLES AND LIKEWISE RATHDOWNEY,
THE DEVIL'S BIT AND HILL OF SPA,
THE GALTEE MOUNTAINS AND SWEET SLIABHARDAGH,
THEYRE ALL IN VIEW OF THE MOATE OF RAGH..'
THE COFFIN PLATFORM IS ALSO A UNIQUE FEATURE AND THE STONE PILE HAS MASSIVE HISTORY ATTACHED TO IT .
THE STONE PILE INSIDE THE COFIN PLATFORM HAS AN INTERESTING HISTORY.IT IS TRADITIONAL FOR PEOPLE TO BRING A STONE AND THROW IT ON THE STONE PILE AS A MARK OF RESPECT TO THE FAMINE DEAD OF WHICH THERE WERE THOUSANDS BURIED WITHIN THE DITCH BOUNDARY OF THE GRAVEYARD.ANOTER STORY FROM MICHAEL BARTON IS THAT THERE IS A SON OF BRIAN BORU ,PRINCE BRIAN BORU ,BURIED UNDER THE STONE PILE.IT IS REPUTED THAT HE WAS KILLED IN A BATTLE AT KENNEDYS CROSS.
THE CHURCH AND GRAVE YARD ARE RELATIVELY SMALL.CROMWELL DESTROYED THIS CHURCH IN 1642.IT LEFT THE PEOPLE OF THE AREA WITH NO PLACE TO GO TO MASS FOR A HUNDRED YEARS AND THEN JOHN HEALY ,A LANDLORD WHO LIVED IN FOULKSCOURT,BUILT CROSSPATRICK CHURCH IN THE 1850'S.IT IS KNOWN LOCALLY THAT THE TRUE PERIMETER OF THE ORIGINAL GRAVEYARD IS THE DITCH BOUNDARY OF THE FIELD IN WHICH IT IS BUILT.IT'S SIZE WAS ORDERED TO BE REDUCED CONSIDERABLY BY AN ENGLISH DECREE TO HELP COVER UP THE EXTENT OF THE GENOCIDE WHICH THEY INFLICTED ON THE IRISH PEOPLE [THAT IS THE GREAT FAMINE].26 PEOPLE WALKED UP PAST ROSS RYANS HOUSE ONE MORNING ON THEIR WAY TO COBH DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE FAMINE.SOME PERISHED ON THEY WAY AND MANY MORE DIED IN TRANSIT ON THE COFFIN SHIPS.
THE COMPLETE POEM WRITTEN BY MRS.RUSSELL TO LAMENT THE DEATH OF HER SON WHO DIED AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE IS DETAILED BELOW.WITHIN THIS POEM AN INSIGHT IS GIVEN TO LIFE IN THE TOWNSLAND OF BAWNMORE AND LOUGH.
THERE IS A MOATE AS YOU MAY COATE BUILT BY THE DANES IN THE DAYS OF YORE,
BY BOLD TUGNAION AND PROUD NORWEGIAN THAT LONG AGO INVADED DEAR IRELANDS SHORE
YOU CAN SEE BAWNMORE,THURLES AND LIKEWISE RATHDOWNEY,
THE DEVIL'S BIT AND THE HILL OF SPA,
THE GALTEE MOUNTAINS AND SWEET SLIABHARDAGH,
THEYRE ALL IN SIGHT OR THE MOATE OF RAGH,
WHERE THEY THE O'CONNEL'S AND THE O'BRIEN'S ARE BURIED.
ASSIST MY DOLEFUL TALE ON THE EXIT OF MY DARLING,
IN SORROW TO BEWAIL HIS FINE AND MANLY FORM YOU NEVER WILL SEE NO MORE OR NEVER WILL
ADORN THE PLAIN'S OF SWEET BAWNMORE,
WHEN BANDS AND BANNERS LATELY PASSED IN TRIUMPH THRU' TO THE LAND ,
YOUNG RUSSELL DRESSED IN EMERALD GREEN STOOD FOREMOST IN THE BAND,
AND EVERY TOWN AS THEY PASSED BY STOOD CROWDS FROM EVERY PART,
TO HEAR YOUNG RUSSELL'S MUSIC.
IT WOULD RISE THE WIDOWS HEARTH WHEN ORPHUS HARP WAS SOUNDING YURPACE TO PLEASE THE
RIVERS LAKE'S AND FOUNTAIN'S RESOUND WITH HIS LAV'S MY DARLING LUTE,
PLAYED SWEETER FOR THAT ECHOED DEEP REGRET AS OER THE LANDS SCAPE BOUND.
AND FAST HIS CATCHE HOUSE HOME TO BLESS,
OH DEATH A FATEFUL MESSENGER WHY ART THOU SO UNKIND,
TO TAKE AWAY THE YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL AND LEAVE THE OLD BEHIND.
THE DAISIE'S PECK HIS COLD COLD BED,THE DEW'S FALL ON HIS FACE,
THE BANSHEE PLAYS HER ELEGY AROUND THE LONELY PLACE BESIDE HIS ANCESTORS GRAVE IN FERTAGH,
DENIED OF YOU HIS LIFE YET LIVED,
WHISLT MANY GRIEVE HIS ABSENCE FROM BAWNMORE.
[ THIS POEM WAS GIVEN TO JOHNNY PURCELL BY TOM SANGFORD IN 1950 ].