Researching cillíní (unconsecrated children’s burial grounds) in Antrim and Fermanagh using the Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record

During the course of doctoral research, the Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Records (NISMR) for Counties Antrim and Fermanagh were analysed for recorded, unrecorded and misrecorded cillíní (unconsecrated children’s burial grounds). While fieldwork and public engagement led to the discovery of a number of cillíní in both counties, this research showed that the presence of cillíní within other archaeological sites was only recorded in the NI SMR descriptions for these sites, leaving many cillíní as an archaeological site type unrecorded within the NI SMR. This also meant that these cillíní were not searchable within the NI SMR and not present on the Historic Environment Map Viewer (HEMV). The doctoral research has led to the discovery that cillíní are being under-recorded in Counties Antrim and Fermanagh. This talk hopes to show the results of this research and to offer options on how to improve the recording of cillíní in Northern Ireland so that these sites are properly recorded and easily found within the NI SMR and on the HEMV.

Biography:

Dr Courtney Mundt was awarded her PhD in 2025 from Queen’s University Belfast. Her dissertation was titled ‘Mapping and Researching the Influences Behind Cillíní distribution in Counties Fermanagh, Meath and Antrim.’ After completing her PhD, Courtney worked as a site assistant for NAC Ltd. She is currently a Mapping and Charting Officer for Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland in the Product and Stakeholder Experience team. Courtney is also a Vice President and the Social Media Coordinator for the Ulster Archaeological Society and a co-chair for the Sectoral Communication working group for 'Archaeology 2030: A Strategic Approach for Northern Ireland'.

Description supplied by the event organiser.