Laois County Council

Tag: kilmanman

  • Conservation and Pollination

    Conservation and Pollination

    €748,000 Just Transition Funding for conservation of medieval churches and pollinators.

     

    A major new project linking conservation of medieval heritage and biodiversity has been launched by Laois and Offaly County Councils. The three year project has been awarded €748,000 under the Governments Just Transition Fund which aims to support innovative projects that contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the Midlands and which have employment and enterprise potential. The total budget for the project is €880,000.

    Cllr Padraig Fleming, Eilish O’Neill, Paddy O’Neill and Raymond Lacey at Clopook Church

    Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD said,

    “I’m delighted that funding of €748,000 has been finalised through the Just Transition Fund for this project, which will bring significant benefits to the Laois and Offaly region. Every funded project will play a key role in the Midlands successfully adapting to a Just Transition while also benefiting communities and individuals most affected by the move away from peat-harvesting. This project alone will create up to thirteen roles, both directly and indirectly. The conservation of these six medieval churches and their graveyards in Laois and Offaly is a terrific development for the communities around them. I am also delighted to see that action will be taken to promote biodiversity and pollinators at each site in partnership with the community.

     

    My Department to date has issued grant agreements with 26 projects through both Strand 1 & 2 of the Fund, and I expect the remaining projects grant agreements to be finalised shortly. These innovative projects include establishment of supporting local business development and green enterprises, tourism and greenway infrastructure, heritage, regional business hubs, , re-skilling and training initiatives.

     

    These projects have the ability to transform the Midlands region and its communities in the transition to a low-carbon economy. They will bring new, innovative, green energy enterprises with the potential to boost the economy in communities and create viable employment options for the region.”

     

    At the launch of the Just Transition project “Conservation and Pollination: Medieval Churches in Laois and Offaly” at Dysart Gallen Church in Spink. Included in picture is Cathaoirleach of LCC Catherine Fitzgerald MCC with 100 year old Anna Mae Treacy (nee Berry); committee members, Sean Murray, chairman Laois Heritage; Angela McEvoy, senior planner LCC and Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer. Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Catherine Fitzgerald, Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council said  “We are delighted to be taking a lead on the Just Transition Fund project to work with communities at these important sites in Laois and Offaly. Churches and graveyards are such important places for heritage and also for the sense of place and identity of the local community. It is great news that there will be positive interaction with communities at a church site in each of the Municipal Districts, I look forward to seeing works progress over the next three years”

    At the launch of the Just Transition project “Conservation and Pollination: Medieval Churches in Laois and Offaly” at Dysart Gallen Church in Spink. Included in picture is Cathaoirleach of LCC Catherine Fitzgerald MCC with committee members Paddy Peppard and chairman Michael McEvoy. Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Over the years Laois and Offaly County Council heritage officers have been working  with a range of communities to care for their medieval churches and the surrounding graveyards. These sites are a direct link to our medieval past and often on sites of importance dating right back to the early Christian period.  They are very special places for local communities, of interest to visitors, as well as being the burial grounds for so many families.  With increased extreme weather events and the impact of climate change there is an acknowledgement that the work to conserve these sites is more important than ever.

     

    This conservation programme has received a huge boost with the allocation of Just Transition funding which will be used to conserve  three churches in each county over the next three years.  There are several strands to Just Transition funding and this programme has received funding through the Community Resilience Strand.  This uses the deep connection people have to their local heritage as a tool to build community capacity, working with local community organisations to develop their capacity to respond to changes in the environment, and raise awareness of greener, cleaner, healthier communities.

     

     

    One church and graveyard has been selected in each municipal district in both counties.  The work at all sites will commence with a comprehensive conservation plan which will be drawn up by a team including a conservation architect, conservation engineer, archaeologist and ecologist.  They will work with the community groups locally to plan works for each site to be delivered. This will include examining options from the All Ireland Pollinator Plan guidelines to see how best the sites can support pollinators.  The proposals will then be submitted to the National Monuments Service for approval before conservation work will commence.  This programme runs for three years so it is anticipated the work in 2021 will focus on research and preparing the programme of works to commence  in 2022 and 2023.

    In Laois the sites to be included are Kilmanman, near Clonaslee (in the Mountmellick – Borris in Ossory Municipal District), Dysart Gallen in Spink (Portlaoise Municipal District) and Clopook (Portarlington – Graiguecullen Municipal District).

     

    Kilmanman

    The medieval church of Kilmanman is on an early Christian site founded by St Manman. Urgent conservation work started at the Church in 2019 with support from Creative Ireland Laois, and work will continue under the Just Transition Project.

    Fred Mathews and Chris Horan, committee members; Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer; Tommy Kelly, committee member; Jethro Sheen, Sheen Stoneworks and Colm Flynn, Archaeologist at Kilmanman Church, Clonaslee.

    Dysart Gallen

    The community at Dysart Galllen commissioned a Conservation Plan in 2020 with funding from the Community Monuments Fund of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This plan has set the priority area for action on the fragile chancel arch and West window of the Church.

     

    Eoin Cahill of the Dysart Gallen graveyard committee said “I for one am very excited to know that this important historical site will now be preserved for future generations to enjoy, and explore, just like I have. The community are very proud of Dysart Gallen and are delighted it is getting the love and attention it deserves. The site itself is such a peaceful place to visit, which is something visitors from far and wide will experience for many, many years to come”..

    Dysart Gallen Church in Spink. Picture: Alf Harvey.

    Clopook

    Clopook graveyard with its medieval abbey dedicated to the Blessed Virgin is located beside the Dun of Clopook, an impressive hillfort situated on top of high rock outcrop similar to the Rock of Dunamase with commanding views of the surrounding countryside in all directions. The place name ‘Cloghpooke’ is annotated on the 1563 map of Laois-Offaly and this hilltop fortress or hillfort is traditionally associated with the O’Moore/O’More clan.

     

    The Offaly sites to be included are Kilmurry in Shinrone, Kilbride near Tullamore and Monasteroris near Edenderry.

     

    For more information on any of the sites and progress with the Conservation and Pollination project over the coming years please see www.laois.ie/heritage and www.offaly.ie/heritage. If you are interested in being kept up to date or involved in any of the above sites please email ccasey@Laoiscoco.ie  for the Laois sites or heritage@offalycoco.ie for the Offaly sites.

  • €2 million Community Monuments Fund Launched

    €2 million Community Monuments Fund Launched

    Malcolm Noonan, T.D, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, has launched the 2021 Community Monuments Fund which will invest €2 million in the protection and promotion of archaeological heritage during 2021. The €2 million allocation is an increase of 75% on last year’s funding.

    The grants available under the Community Monuments Fund will help custodians and owners of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future for the benefit of local communities and the visiting public. In addition, they will provide support for heritage professions and job opportunities in building conservation and other traditional skills.

    Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council said “Laois County Council is delighted to be working with the National Monuments Service again this year on the Community Monuments Fund. Last year essential conservation work was carried out at Killabban Church under the scheme, and Conservation Plans for medieval churches at Kilmanman and Dysart Gallen were commissioned and the graveyard at Old Lea recorded. None of this vital work would have been possible without the Community Monuments Funding”

    Killabban Church with the Conservation Committee, including John Moran and Liam Delaney. The conservation of the church was funded in 2020 through the Community Monuments Fund

    Applications by private owners or community groups for funding under the under the CMF must be made to Laois County Council by 12th April. Application forms and full details are on the website of Laois County Council at laois.ie/heritage.

    The Community Monuments Fund was first established as part of the 2020 July Jobs Stimulus introduced in response to the Covid emergency. In 2020, some 71 heritage projects were funded to the value of €1.15 million. It is anticipated that that the 2021 programme being run by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s National Monuments Service will support more than 120 projects across the country.

    The core aims of the Community Monuments Fund are the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of archaeological monuments. Funding is available for:

    • conservation works to monuments which are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support,
    • works to improve access to and presentation of monuments, and
    • building resilience into monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change.

    Funding is available in three streams.

    • Stream 1 for essential repairs and conservation works at archaeological monuments.
    • Stream 2 for development of Conservation Management Plans/Reports to identify necessary conservation measures and any issues requiring future attention.
    • Stream 3 for enhancement of access infrastructure and interpretation at archaeological monuments, including development of online interpretative material.

    Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage Malcolm Noonan TD said “We have a responsibility towards our heritage and to those who care for it. When we established the Community Monuments Fund in 2020, we did so with the objective of supporting the heritage sector and providing an effective way of assisting Local Authorities and custodians in protecting Ireland’s remarkable yet vulnerable archaeological heritage.

    “With the excellent partnership between Local Authorities and our National Monuments Service, the 2020 Fund supported an extraordinary level of community engagement and public participation in heritage. It provided traditional skills opportunities and strengthened the role of heritage in communities across the country, highlighting the role of heritage in providing a strong sense of place and well-being. We are very pleased to be able to grow the fund significantly this year and hope to support over 120 projects which will provide a local economic boost with thousands of hours of employment for stone masons, conservation architects, archaeologists and others, in sustainable job opportunities in the care of our heritage.”

    How to Apply

    The closing date for applications by private owners or community groups is 12th April 2021.

    Community Monuments Fund Application Form: CMF-A Application

    CMF Scheme Guidelines: Guidelines document

     

    Note

    Completed application forms must be submitted to the Heritage Office of Laois County Council by 12th April. Forms must be  submitted in Word format by email only.

    Please read the scheme guidelines carefully and compete all relevant sections of the form.

    Please note the requirement for an appropriately qualified building conservation professional to oversee any proposed conservation works, and for a comprehensive Method Statement to accompany all applications. See Guidelines above for information on what should be in Method Statements). The absence of a suitably comprehensive Method Statement will result in a project failing at assessment stage.

    If you have any questions please contact the Heritage Office to discuss.

     

    Dysart Gallen church had a Conservation Plan funded through the 2020 Community Monuments Fund
  • Conservation of Kilmanman Church brings community together

    Conservation of Kilmanman Church brings community together

    A community-based project to save the medieval Church at Kilmanman near Clonaslee in Laois from collapse, has had two successful phases of conservation in 2019 and 2020 with the help of Creative Ireland.

    Fears for the survival of the medieval church ruins had been raised by members of the local graveyard committee, and help was sought from the Culture Team at Laois County Council.

    Catherine Casey is Heritage Officer with Laois County Council.

    “The Medieval Church at Kilmanman was in a very fragile state, so conservation work to stabilise it was urgent,” she said. “The church is part of the rich heritage of the site, which we believe goes back to early Christian times. The survival of the church is so important to the people of this area, as can be seen by the huge number of community volunteers involved each year,” Ms Casey said.

     

    Committee members, members of Clonaslee High Nelly Club, Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer, Colm Flynn, Archaeologist and Jethro Sheen, Sheen Stoneworks at Kilmanman Church, Clonaslee.

    The conservation project was supported with funding from the Creative Ireland Laois Programme, and supported by Clonaslee Community Development Association and local residents.

    Technical advice was provided by Mountmellick based archaeologist Colm Flynn, and experienced conservation engineer, Aoife Murphy, working for David Kelly Partnership.

    As the site is so sensitive, permission for the works was sought from the National Monuments Service of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and conservation work was carried out by stonemason Jethro Sheen.

    Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council continued “This church and graveyard are clearly so important to the local community, they really encompass everything we mean by a Sense of Place, and we were delighted that the Creative Ireland programme in Laois was able to support the valuable conservation work here this year,” she said.

    Work continued at Kilmanman in 2020 to stabilise the east gable with its fine tracery window and the west gable with the remains of the bell-cote.

    Kilmanman Church and Graveyard after two stages of conservation works March 2021, photo by ALf Harvey (c)

     

     

     

    The project to conserve Kilmanman Church was funded by Creative Ireland Laois and Laois County Council as part of the Creative Ireland Programme in Laois.