President to visit Nobber next week

by Paul Murphy

Twelve years’ work by a voluntary committee in Nobber will culminate next Tuesday in the official opening by President Michael D Higgins of the new George Eogan Heritage and Community Centre, named after one of the village’s native sons.
The President’s visit - at 3pm - will recognise the valiant work of the local heritage committee to highlight the splendid heritage of the region. Last-minute touches are being put to the old St John’s Church in the centre of the village which was restored by the group at a cost of €262,000. The project was grant-aided by Meath Leader, Meath County Council and St John’s Cemetery Restoration Group.
Key to the rich heritage of Nobber is Moynagh Lough crannog, with evidence of settlement stages from as early as 6,000 BC. A vibrant medieval ecclesiastical centre, Nobber then became an important Norman stronghold.
The birthplace in 1670 of Turlough O’Carolan, the renowned composer and harpist, Nobber continued as a notable centre of Gaelic poetry and traditional learning until the 19th century. Heritage studies and harp music now flourish in Nobber.
Andy Reilly of the restoration committee said that for decades past, Professor George Eogan had been a central figure in the retrieval and enhancement of the rich heritage of the area. “George’s deep learning and generous guidance have been a richly creative force in the emergence of the region’s cultural identity. In recent years, the Nobber community has united in the restoration of St John’s church as a heritage and community centre,” he said.
George Eogan, a native of Nobber and a former Meath person of the Year, has had a long and distinguished career in archaeology. He has been Professor of Archaeology in University College, Dublin, and has published and lectured both in Ireland and internationally on many archaeological themes.
He has excavated a number of archaeological sites, most notably the internationally renowned Late Stone Age passage tomb at Knowth in the Boyne Valley. In addition, he has done original research on the Irish Bronze Age, including a study of the Bronze Age gold work of Britain and Ireland.
He was a founder member of the Heritage Council, and for many years served on both the National Monuments Advisory Council (Dublin) and the Historic Monuments Council (Belfast). He has also served on the Councils of the Royal Irish Academy and the Prehistoric Society (London), as well as the Council of the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences.