Back on the Halloween weekend just gone, I went away to Dungarvan for a long weekend, we go there quite often to stay at The Clonea Strand Hotel, just outside the town, it’s really nice. on my journey home, which is two hours back to Finglas, I decided to stop after one hour, where did I end up but Paulstown in county Kilkenny, coincidentally, because 1) it is exactly half way from dungarvan to my house, and 2) I was told that there was an important family history grave for me here! I had a conversation some time ago with a fellow genealogist by the name of Kieron Cooke, whom I have mentioned a few times in this blog now, he had said to me that there was a grave in Shakill house in Paulstown that has a cooke grave that is related to the Painstown Cookes/Cokes, and this could possibly be a step toward the Kilmacow Cookes(genealogically) Paulstown is a place that I have been familiar with in the past, it was always a stop off town on the way down to Waterford, before they built the big motorway that bypassed it, so now it is just a sleepy little village.
Shankill Castle in Paulstown is a stately home on demesne grounds. When we arrived in Paulstown this time with Anne, my wife, we went through the majestic gates, and pulled up to the big house, the staff were so helpful, and pointed us in the direction of the graveyard.
I didn't disturb the grave, it had a lot of moss on it, and it was wet too, so I can only show the grave, but the writing is not too clear. It reads:
Erected by Michael Cooke in the memory of his father Thomas Cooke, late of Kellymount, died 16 December 1801, age 70 years.
There is more on it but I couldn't read it from the snaps I'd taken, but i pass quite regularly through this area, or maybe someone can enlighten me?
On the back under the eye it reads:
Headstone carved by John Brennan, stone-cutter, Royal Oak
Stand here my friends wipe off your tears
Here we must lie until Christ appears
And when he comes we hope to rise
Unto that life that never dies
It also surprised me that it was made of lime or sandstone and very sturdy and ornate, on the front of the grave appeared to be a shining sun carved into the sun, on the back of it was an eyeball sculpted, looking out, I’d never seen it before, also something else written underneath that, some kind of verse, but I couldn't make it out. Apparently the eyeball and sunrise thing indicates some kind of masonic symbolism, from the little research I have done online, the sun is a setting sun, signifying the end of life, the eye is 'the all seeing eye' or 'the eye of providence' signifying god and his almighty power and judgement, that possibly because of Thomas's dedication to god and freemasonry that he will pass on peacefully to paradise?
Unfortunately it was late in the afternoon on a dark damp day in a rather woody area, so not to successful with the reading, maybe someone can enlighten me of the verse on the back, I will put it up if I get it.
For the location of this grave, and help in finding it when I got there, I would like to thank the following:
Kieran Cooke, up in Dunmore, Galway
The staff at shankill house
