Survey Data
Reg No
40818036
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Historical, Social
Previous Name
Milford Union Workhouse
Original Use
Graveyard/cemetery
Date
1840 - 1930
Coordinates
220453, 425951
Date Recorded
30/01/2014
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Former union workhouse graveyard on rectangular-plan, in use c. 1842-1922, containing unmarked graves of victims of the Great Famine. Now out of use. Restored 2006. Surrounded by modern rubble stone boundary walls to the east and south sides and by earlier wall to the north and west sides. Garden and tree to centre of enclosure; three upright roughly cut stones to south of tree. Modern gateway to the south with modern memorial plaque adjacent reading 'This cemetery contains the remains of many unidentified people who died between 1845 and 1922…'. Located to the north-east of the site of Milford Union Workhouse complex (built 1842, demolished c. 1980), and in the rural countryside to the south-east of Milford.
Appraisal
This sombre former graveyard was originally associated with the former Milford Union Workhouse complex (built c. 1842 and demolished c. 1980). It largely contains the unmarked graves of victims of the Great Famine (1845 - 49) and acts as a poignant reminder of this traumatic event in Irish history. The graveyard apparently remained in use until the closure of the workhouse in 1922. A modern plaque to site, erected 2006 by FAS, adds a bit of dignity to the memory of the many individuals interred in unmarked graves here. Its preservation and maintenance demonstrates the local significance placed on the site, not least in providing a poignant area of reflection. Milford Union Workhouse itself lay to the west and south-west of the graveyard. It was originally built in 1842 to designs by George Wilkinson at a cost of £6,250 for the building and £1,150 for the fittings. It was originally designed to accommodate 400 individuals although many more were here during the Famine. First admissions were received on the 6th of April 1842 although the buildings were apparently not completed until 1846. The workhouse remained in operation until 1922 and subsequently went out of use. It was sadly demolished c. 1980 and a cattle mart built on its site.