Clonmelsh Graveyard Burial Place of Walt Disney’s Ancestors

I recently discovered a real hidden treasure in County Carlow. It is an old graveyard in Clonmelsh near Tinryland in Co. Carlow. Clonmelsh Graveyard is a burial place of Walt Disney`s Ancestors as well as of the famous Butler family of Kilkenny Castle.

Located only 8 km from Carlow Town and not far from Milford.

Clonmelsh Graveyard is one of Carlow’s most interesting and unique sites of historical importance.

It has a huge tourism potential but isn`t well developed and known. In 2019 the graveyard was tidied up by volunteers but it is still overgrown and access isn`t good. The descriptions of the old graves are impossible to see, only the description of the graves of the Disney family are visible.

There are three Disney Headstones in Clonmelsh Graveyard:

Here Leith the Body Of Abigal Pain Alias Disney Who Departed This Life on The 29 of Nov 1746 Aged 28 Years Erected by her husband Joseph Pain
Here Lieth The Body of George Disney of The City of Dublin Baker Who Departed This Life The Ninth Day Of May 1736 Aged 53
This tombstone is Erected by Mary Disney in memory of her Husband Robert Disney who this day 2nd day of August Aged 62 years

In 1801, Arundel Elias Disney, great-grandfather of Walt Disney was born in Gowran Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. Walt Disney’s ancestors left Ireland to travel to New York in 1834. So three of his ancestors are buried in Clonmelsh’s graveyard. That’s why every year Platform with Disney was on St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Carlow Town to remind his connection with Carlow.

In Clonmelsh Graveyard also lie the ancestors of the Butler family. Pierce Butler, one of the Founding Fathers, was born in Co Carlow. He was one of the architects of the American Constitution and was one of the signatories, in Philadelphia, in 1788.

Location of Clonmelsh Graveyard:

Below are Photos I took in March 2021.