22 January 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
The remains of a medieval church and graveyard in the North Cork village of Dromtarriffe have been uncovered and restored with the support of Cork County Council’s Community Monument Fund
Pictured are Billy Dennehy, Area Engineer, Cork County Council, Diane Finucane, Staff Officer, Municipal Districts Operations & Rural Development Cork County Council, Ann Carey, Archeologist with National Monuments Service, Clare Barr, Municipal District Officer, Cork County Council and Mary Sleenan, Archeologist with Cork County Council on Tuesday 17th January reviewing the Conservation works at Dromtarriff medieval church carried out by Cork County Council. The works was funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Community Monuments Fund. Photo by Sean Jefferies Photography.
Pictured is Dromtarriff Medieval Churchwhich had Conservation works carried out by Cork County Council recently. The works was funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Community Monuments Fund. Photo by Sean Jefferies Photography.
: Pictured is Dromtarriff Medieval Church which had Conservation works carried out by Cork County Council recently. The works was funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Community Monuments Fund. Photo by Sean Jefferies Photography.
The ancient Parish Church was in use as a place of worship up until July 1651 when it was burned by Cromwellian Soldiers. Tragically twenty-four people lost their lives in the fire, evidence of which is still visible in the shattered stonework today.
The ruins of this important medieval church stand in the centre of an ancient graveyard that was in very poor repair, with the walls of the building were concealed by layers of undergrowth. Following two years of careful conservation works overseen by Cork County Council’s Kanturk Mallow Municipal District, the remaining structures have been uncovered and restored, safeguarding this important historic structure into the future.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Danny Collins congratulated all those involved in the project,
“The works on Dromtarriffe Church were carried out by an excellent team overseen by the Council’s Heritage Unit including Sheen Stonework Ltd., Archaeologist Eamon Cotter and experienced conservation engineers David Kelly and Partnership. I would like to commend the entire team who worked so diligently to safeguard this historic site, securing its future for the benefit of the local community, visitors to the area and history enthusiasts even further afield.”
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey highlighted the value of the scheme,
“The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Community Monuments Fund (CMF) has been in operation for three years and in this time has funded many conservation and maintenance projects to protect and promote archaeological monuments across the county. I would encourage communities who wish to carry out works to conserve, maintain and safeguard local monuments and historic sites such as Dromtarriffe to consider an application to this year’s fund.”
Details of the 2023 Community Monuments Fund are available on Cork County Council’s website at www.corkcoco.ie The closing date for submissions to this year’s fund is the 31st of January 2023.
