Dr Marion Dowd, an archaeology lecturer at Atlantic Technological University (ATU), has shed new light on Ireland’s cillíní—unconsecrated burial grounds for babies who were stillborn, miscarried, or died at birth without baptism.
Published in the Journal of Irish Archaeology (Vol. XXXIV, 2025), her research combines folklore and archaeology to reveal forgotten sites and the cultural practices surrounding them. By examining over 350 folklore accounts from the National Folklore Collection Schools archive and cross-referencing them with archaeological records, Dr Dowd identified 11 previously unrecorded cillíní and 16 lost burial grounds across counties including Kerry, Mayo, Donegal, Galway, Clare, Cork, Louth, Sligo, Waterford, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, and Tipperary.
Sites documented include Lisheen na bPáistí (Co. Sligo), Inis na Leanbh in Kilquane (Co. Kerry), burial grounds near holy wells in Waterford, crossroads sites in Clare, and forgotten cillíní within ringforts in Meath—many of which had never appeared in official surveys.
The study also explores the grief, shame, and trauma experienced by parents burying children in unconsecrated ground, a perspective Dr Dowd calls an “archaeology of emotion.” Folklore highlights supernatural beliefs tied to these sites, such as ghostly lights and traditions like the “stray sod” and “hungry sod,” thought to punish those who disturbed graves.
Unique practices, including separate burial grounds for boys and girls and folk cures for sick children, are detailed in an archaeological context for the first time.
“This research reconnects Ireland’s rich folklore with its physical heritage, ensuring that the places associated with the unbaptised are not lost to time,” says Dr Dowd. Many cillíní remain vulnerable to development, farming, and neglect.
With folklore now recognized under Ireland’s heritage legislation via the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention (2015), the study emphasizes the value of integrating oral traditions into heritage preservation. Local communities are encouraged to help identify and protect these sites.
This work is featured in Bright Minds, Big Impact, highlighting ATU’s research excellence and the people driving meaningful change.
