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24 Sept 2025
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24 Sept 2025
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Pictured: Clonenagh graveyard, Mountrath. Photo: findagrave.com.
A Laois councillor has requested that the Council remove overgrowth from a historic graveyard.
Mountrath Independent Cllr James Kelly requested that the Council's Heritage Office remove the overgrowth on the boundary walls of Clonenagh Cemetery in Mountrath.
"Laois County Council's Heritage Office has sought quotations from specialist landscape contractors to remove the overgrowth at Clonenagh cemetery," the Heritage Office replied.
Pictured: Clonenagh cemetery, Mountrath. Photo: Google Maps
Cllr Kelly welcomed this reply.
"Thanks for that; here's a history lesson for you. We're all very proud of Clonenagh, and a lot of people just drive past it," Cllr Kelly explained.
"It was founded by St Fintan in 548 AD. We all remember when the money tree collapsed, part of that is here in the Council on display," he said.
"There are numerous types of headstones, there are the Celtic crosses and the metal crosses, and inscribed and uninscribed stone markers. Burials are still taking place, it is really well looked after by the CE scheme in Mountrath," he said.
"In 1988 the Early Christian crosses were discovered, and they were set up against the wall inside the gate. What has happened is over time, this has all become overgrown," Cllr Kelly highlighted.
Pictured: The walls and headstones are sustaining damage due to overgrowth. Photo: The Heritage Council
"Now our history and heritage is overgrown with ivy and weeds, so I would hope that we could get in there and undertake works to preserve the wall that is there, and that the stones can be taken out of where they are overgrown," he finished.
This motion was seconded by Fine Gael Cllr Conor Bergin.
"This is the second motion that you have put in on this Cllr Kelly, and it's a very important cemetery, particularly for the history of Ireland. I fully support this," Cllr Bergin finished.
This motion was tabled at a September sitting of Laois County Council's Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick Municipal District.
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