Kilbride Pyramid

This monument in the form of a perfect pyramid was built in 1785 by Ralph, Viscount Wicklow in the churchyard of Kilbride, just outside Arklow. The inscription states that it is a memorial to Dorothea Howard who died in 1684. Dorothea was the wife of John Howard and there is a family mausoleum under the pyramid. The Howard family are long since gone but the name is remembered still in the name of the family home at Castle Howard on the other side of the town.

Although Kilbride Church is now just a few stones and the graveyard greatly overgrown the pyramid persists. Every so often, those who are interested in the history, tidy the site up and carry out remedial works on the monument. Right now the place is a bit of a mess again and in need of some tender loving care.

As I think about it now, I have just realised that this pyramid pre dates the French Revolution by four years. The world hasn't half changed since those times!