Archaeology survey due on Kilfinane bone discovery
In 2006 a number of bones were discovered in the square in Kilfinane, and one theory is that they are of the famed local Staker Wallis (or Wallace), who is recorded as having been executed alongside two other men in the square.
Now, almost 16 years after the find, Limerick City and County Council have confirmed that the bones were delivered to an osteo-archaeologist in January, and a preliminary survey is to take place this month to see what further analysis is needed.
Sarah McCutcheon, archaeologist with the local authority, confirmed that this work will be carried out ‘ASAP’, and that funding was sought last year for the works.
James O’Brien, a member of the Kilfinane Coshlea Historical Society, has been pursuing the issue for a number of years, as did his colleagues before him, the late Seamus Ryan and Jim Neville.
Patrick ‘Staker’ Wallis was executed in Kilfinane for his part in disturbances that led to the 1798 rebellion. He was hanged on 5th July 1798 in the square in Kilfinane, and his head displayed on a spike in the square. A sculpture in his memory stands in Kilfinane today. It is hypothesised by Mr O’Brien that the bones are that of the United Irishman. He was killed alongside two other men, and contemporary accounts report that rebels were often thrown into ‘croppy holes’ and covered in lime, a fact that would tally with the way the bones in Kilfinane were found.
A 1934/44 survey of Kilfinane by the Irish Tourist Association, the precursor of Bord Fáilte, reported that the bones of Staker Wallis had been found in the town square. James O’Brien believes that the bones referred to in this historical account may have been reburied, and are the same ones that were subsequently rediscovered in 2006.
Speaking with The Avondhu previously, Mr O’Brien made the point that the deceased, even if it is not Staker Wallis, is still entitled to a respectful burial. After a long wait, perhaps the end is in sight for this mystery.