An Editorial Regarding the Milltown Situation

This editorial was sent to me. What do you think of this latest development?


The families who have been involved with the Milltown Cemetery project in Belfast and who have struggled with the fact that the Catholic Church sold the graves of their relatives to a wildlife reserve in 2000 have been dealt another harrowing double-edged blow this month. The cemetery administrator Fr. Martin Graham has issued a dictatorial email to relatives which stated that work on the site was to take place from the 26th of March and that the homemade crosses and plaques which mark the approximate location of some of the graves had to be removed by then. The relatives are stunned by this decision as there had been an agreement that no work would take place on the land until all current investigative work was finished and reports on any further land which may contain human burial produced. It was only at that stage that discussion on what would happen to the six acre strip of land which lies along the eastern boundary of the cemetery was to take place between the relatives and the church, including discussion on what was to replace the family markers.

The current archaeological investigation involves 53 trenches which are to be dug over approximately twenty-six of the original thirty-seven acres sold by the church in 2000. The decision bmey the church to press ahead with work on the land will in effect disallow a number of trenches to be excavated in some of the most contentious areas within the six acres already returned to the cemetery in 2010. The purpose of this work has always been to identify the presence and extent of burial outside the consecrated ground of the cemetery and this latest move will effectively rob the relatives of their last chance to determine the extent of graves which evidence from numerous ethnographic accounts from local people and past cemetery staff state are present.

This sticking-plaster approach adopted by the church has been viewed by families as yet another betrayal and continuing evidence of the total disregard in which they are held by the very church which should be protecting them. The church hierarchy however, are in for a continued fight as they discover that the body of the church which they term ‘The ordinaries’ are quite extraordinary when it comes to taking a stand in defence of their own.

Update on Milltown Cemetery

Archaeologist Toni Maguire has now confirmed that trench 49 is now closed and work has begun on trench 3.  Trench 3 to date has produced 2 Adult and 8 Baby coffins.

Milltown babies 3.mpg 

The Wild Geese Interviews Toni Maguire About Cillini

The Wild Geese is a webzine that documents the history and heritage of the Irish. It has drawn millions of readers to its more than 600 online features during its 14+ years online.


Most recently they featured a three part interview with Toni Maguire, the archaeologist and anthropologist from Belfast who has uncovered the graves of thousands of unbaptized babies in Milltown Cemetery and the Bog Meadows area known as cillini.

Cillini means "little graveyard" in Irish.　

DaddyORadio Dedicates an hour to Cillini

December 15 a 1 hour IRISH Show starting at 9:00 Am E.S.T.for all listeners of DaddyORadio. It is being dedicated to Cillini. 

Send in your requests to 
Phone US (803) 661 3441 or 
E-Mail address: mailto:daddyoradio@juno.comhttp://www.daddyoradio.us/webradio.html

http://www.daddyoradio.us/webradio.html

For those of you who may be tuning into DaddyORadio for the first time, read on to learn about Cillini. 

Thank you so very much from the H.U.G. Alliance to DaddyORadio for supporting such a worthwhile and important cause.

Update on Milltown Cemetery Investigation of Geophysical Anomalies

Joint Press Release by Trustees of Milltown Cemetery and
Northern Archeological Consultancy Ltd.

30^th November 2011

Investigation of Geophysical Anomalies

Milltown Cemetery Belfast

Background
In spring and early summer 2011, on the instructions of Father Martin Graham and on behalf of The Milltown Cemetery Trustees, a non-intrusive geophysical investigation was carried out by RSK STATS Geoconsult Ltd within an area of Milltown Cemetery and Bog Meadows, Belfast totaling 37 acres in size. Of this, 6 acres were located at the bottom of the current Milltown Cemetery, whilst the remaining 31 acres were within the Bog Meadows which is owned by the Ulster Wildlife Trust.  This survey was commissioned to determine the possible presence and location of graves in the vicinity of the current cemetery. In order to do this several geophysical techniques were utilised to provide the most reliable and complete information with regards to the possible presence and location of graves in the various ground types around the site.

It should be noted that while the geophysical surveys have provided some evidence for graves at the site it has identified some anomalies which may derive from other causes The survey was a highly specialised piece of work, but as noted throughout the report it cannot be definitive in asserting whether or not a specific location had been used for human burial. To confirm or refute the presence of burials it is necessary to investigate by trenching.

As a result of the techniques employed a combined anomaly map, illustrating areas of potential disturbance was produced and a series of recommendations made.

It was recommended that a representative sample of medium and low confidence possible graves indicated by the data be targeted in areas across the 6-acre and 31-acre sections to prove the nature of these obstructions. It was also recommended that broader areas within the resistivity data that potentially correlate with graves be investigated using appropriate forensic techniques. Where data suggests heterogeneous ground and where the geophysical signals from any graves present may have been masked the areas should be investigated in order to rule out the presence of graves. Where magnetic data show discrete signals that correlate with the location of anomalies indicated from the radar data all or a sample of these locations should be investigated. It was recommended to target a number of the anomalies that are in close proximity to anomalies considered to be more likely due to graves, and also a small representative sample of locations elsewhere in order to provide confidence that these anomaly types are not likely to represent graves.

Proposed works

Subsequent to a geophysical survey at Milltown Cemetery carried out in early Summer 2011, Northern Archaeological Consultancy Ltd were contracted, in September 2011, to propose a test trenching exercise to fulfill the recommendations of the geophysical survey and subsequently investigate a sample of recorded anomalies to determine whether or not they are burial related.

It was proposed that a series of test trenches be hand excavated through a selection of the anomalies to determine whether they are present as a result of burials and if not to establish, if possible, the cause of the anomaly. As well as this we have been asked to investigate two areas currently laid out as burial plots within the cemetery to establish whether or not there are burials present, and to investigate part of the area of the easternmost cemetery road as it appears that there are a series of anomalies running along it which suggest burials along its current length.  The 51 locations (3 in the area relating to the drainage works for the Ulster Wildlife Trust and 45 in the area relating to the area surveyed during the Phase 2 Survey have been chosen to examine a variety of anomaly types and as wide an extent of the site as possible, without disturbing more than necessary. As the area with the greatest concentration of targets has been returned to the cemetery with the assumption that the vast majority of contacts are burials it is been deemed unnecessary to investigate that section other than to investigate the former car park areas and the road, as well as the specific areas requested in the southern and northern parts of the cemetery. The trenches, will be laid out on the ground by the persons who conducted the survey; RSK.

A series of 51, 1m wide trenches, totaling around 585m in length, will be excavated by hand, to establish the underlying ground conditions and to locate the nature and extend of burials across the site.  Where appropriate, the excavation may require using a mini digger or other small mechanical excavator with a flat bucket (sheugh bucket), to remove rubble or lift hard surfaces but will not be used in locating burials. The sod and vegetation will be lifted, stored separately and re-laid after back filling to minimise disturbance after the investigation is over. To be certain if burials are present or absent the excavation will continue to the water table, undisturbed subsoil or to the surface of any burial or reason for the anomaly.  Manual techniques will be used where suspected burials are encountered, or if delicate work is required.  It is likely that most of the anomalies are visible or present within 1m of the surface, though this may not be the case if multiple burials are present.

Work will be carried out in three phases with trenching in Phase 1 being 9 trenches (Trenches 1 to 9) totaling around 220m located in the current cemetery and in the 6 acres returned to the Trustees of Milltown. 38 trenches total around 335m in length (Trenches 10 to 47) and are located in the land currently owned by the Ulster Wildlife Trust. A further 4 trenches 47-51, around 30m in length, have been requested following consultation with all concerned parties, these will be undertaken as Phase 3.

Trenches will be backfilled as the work progresses rather than left open to minimise potential for injury or further disturbance. This part of the work will be carried out using a mechanical excavator as will hard surface and rubble removal, under the direction and supervision of the archaeologist. 

Any burials or archaeological sites or features discovered during archaeological trial trenching will be preserved in situ. If it is deemed to be a potential grave it will be investigated to the level where it is possible to determine whether or not it is an actual human burial. If a burial is uncovered the relevant contacts will be informed. They will be located using GPS, and marked on a master plan created using an EDM.  A report detailing this information will be created and submitted to the relevant persons subsequent to the investigation.  Please note that no excavation or removal of burials and/or archaeological remains will be undertaken during this investigation and that no invasive archaeological excavation can be undertaken prior to NIEA consultation and approval of a scheme of works.

Unauthorised burials
There is the potential for burials to be uncovered during this investigation that were not sanctioned by the Catholic Church or the management and staff of the cemetery  If such  burials are uncovered within the area in the ownership or formerly in the ownership of the trustees of Milltown Cemetery it is an unauthorised burial. If this is the case the site investigation will be halted in that area, Father Martin Graham, and the other representatives of the cemetery and Ulster Wildlife Trust will be contacted and the PSNI will be informed.   Their requirements will then be followed.

For more information, contact

Fr Edward McGee

Down and Connor Diocese
Media Liaison Officer
Tel. 07811144268
E-mail: dcpress@downandconnor.org

In memory of the Family of Babies Children and Adults who are Buried in The Bog Meadows area of Miltown Cemetery and Throughout the Island of Ireland

Written by Aine Mac Aohda

aine-macaodha.blogspot.com

Denied

Sister Monica had a special box
sat on her wooden desk beside her cane
her roll book, rosaries and bible.
Collections for the little mites
limbo babies
pagan babies
lost souls
the unbaptised
Nothing more to be said.
At age six we prayed hard for the babies
nameless and godless and without
questioning the word of God
or Mother Monica we felt loss.
I held an image of a lost soul in my mind
carried it with me into secondary school.
In childhood overheard muttered prayers
A grandmother weeping
a trail of tears when thought un-noticed.
Visits to ancient church ruins
flowers laid by the old stones
prayers said while watching the invisible
blow leaves around the ruins.
Babies denied recognition
Buried on the outer edge of their parish churches
Babies who had no place in heaven.
Their sin, still born, unbaptised at the time of death.
Parents lost in the mire of faith, grieved alone.
Under the landscapes of boundaries
and fields many mass graves lie denied.
For them I mourn…

On the "Churching" of Women

I heard of this practice the other day so I "googled" it and saw that there is quite a bit of information on it (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churching_of_women).

Churching is a blessing by a priest that is bestowed upon women who have just given birth. It was usually done forty days after the birth, that period of time given to the mother to rest in preparation for returning to Church and participation in the sacraments.

I was surprised to find out that my own mother had been churched after the births of my five brothers and sisters and myself in the 1950's and 60's. The daughter of Irish immigrants, the churching ritual was practiced mostly in the UK and Ireland and was continued in this country for many years. However, it is no longer practiced in mainstream Catholic Churches like it once was. 

According to Church laws, any woman who died within that 40 day time period following the birth, gave birth to a stillborn baby, was unmarried, or was otherwise not churched for whatever reason was seen in the eyes of the Church as unclean and therefore could be denied burial in consecrated grounds. For that reason, many of them are buried in the Cillini.