Overview
When volunteers set about clearing the overgrown graveyard at Preban in 2010, they expected 18th-century headstones. What the archaeologist Christiaan Corlett also found, among them, was far older: Neolithic rock art – cup marks and pecked circles on stones thousands of years older than the graves around them. At least three decorated stones have been recorded, one with 23 cup marks, made with the same light pecking technique seen in passage-tomb art.
That’s the reason to seek Preban out, and it’s worth being plain: this is a niche stop, a country graveyard down narrow lanes in the southern foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, with no visitor centre and nothing signposting the rock art from the road. Come knowing what you’re looking for. The graveyard serves the townlands around Kilballyowen, Tomcoyle and Ballinglen, and it’s owned and maintained by Wicklow County Council.
The stones and the restoration
By the late 20th century the old graveyard had all but disappeared under laurel, bramble and choked drainage ditches. In 2010 a group of local people took it on, and as the undergrowth came back the finds mounted up. The oldest legible headstone dates to 1738. Among the 18th-century stones is one carved by Denis Cullen, a well-known stonecutter from Monaseed in County Wexford. There’s also an unusual bullaun stone – a boulder with a worn, basin-like hollow, a form usually linked to early ecclesiastical sites – and, most striking of all, the prehistoric rock art that Corlett identified on stones reused in the graveyard.
The inscriptions have since been transcribed, giving genealogists a record of the families buried here. Fin Dwyer’s Irish History Podcast ran a ‘Preban Living Graveyard’ series on the site and its restoration, launched in 2020. In older records the place appears as a parish in its own right: in 1840, Preban – or Prebawn – was described as a parish in the barony of Ballinacor, about four miles north-west of Tinahely, with 1,095 inhabitants.
What to see
- The rock art and bullaun stone – the decorated stones and the bullaun are the real interest; morning or late-afternoon light brings out the cup marks and makes the old inscriptions easier to read.
- The headstones – a dense cluster of 18th- and 19th-century memorials, including the Denis Cullen stone.
- St John’s Church – a First Fruits Church of Ireland building of 1827 in Tomcoyle, seating about 180, a listed protected structure and still part of the Tinahely–Carnew parish. Nearby St Aidan’s holy well is tied to a ‘Blessing of the Graves’ tradition at Preban.
- The views – the site looks out across the southern foothills towards Lugnaquilla and Keadeen; clear days give a long backdrop for photographs.
Getting there and practical notes
Preban is reached by narrow, signposted lanes off the R747, from either Tinahely or Carnew; you’ll want a car, as public transport doesn’t really serve it. The approach and paths are compacted earth and gravel, uneven in places and slippery after rain, so wear sturdy footwear – the site suits anyone comfortable walking on rough natural ground rather than a smooth surface.
It’s a working country graveyard, so there’s no admission and no set hours; go in daylight, both for the paths and for reading the stones. There are no toilets, café or shop on site – bring water, and pick up supplies in Tinahely or Carnew. For family research, the transcribed inscriptions are available through the Wicklow Heritage archives, and Ireland Reaching Out offers free help tracing local ancestors.
Nearby
- Avondale – a drive north brings you to the former home of Charles Stewart Parnell, with mature woodland and marked trails.
- Carnew – the village is dominated by a 16th-century tower house, one of the better-preserved examples of its kind in south Wicklow.
- Baltinglass – west over the hills, with a Cistercian abbey ruin and a market square.
One practical tip if the rock art is what draws you: come in low, raking sunlight, early or late, because flat midday light all but erases the cup marks into the stone.