Volunteers gather for clean up of Ardmulchan church and graveyard

The smell of petrol and the sound of strimming was in the air in Ardmulchan on Saturday when 20 volunteers gathered at the ruins of Ardmulchan Church and Graveyard and undertook a badly needed clean up.

Ardmulchan Graveyard Group member, Johnny Finegan said: “It’s such an amazing asset we have on our doorstep. The whole place was overgrown so a call went out and 20 people answered it. Some have relatives buried here, others were locals who have a love for the grounds and its history”.

The Church which boasts one of the finest views in Meath, sits on an elevated perch overlooking a bend in the River Boyne below. Built around 1190 by Theobald the Walter, the church has a colourful history with ownership changing hands often over the following centuries.

As very few people have been buried in the graveyard in the last 30 years, the maintenance has not been what it once was. A reformed and energised group was set up and is now actively looking after graveyard and doing their best to showcase what the grounds have to offer, both historically and aesthetically.

"Meath Co Council have been great and we’ve been awarded grants for different things such as mowing grass and even a sign which will provide visitors with information about the church. However, it’s been a real challenge to get a maintenance business to undertake mowing the grass. Hopefully now that we’ve tackled the long grass, we might get a bit more interest,” Mr Finegan said.

A conservation study commissioned by Navan an District Historical Society in 2021 highlighted several structural issues with the church, tower and boundary walls. It is hoped that future applications to the Community Monuments Fund will achieve a level of restoration similar to recent works carried out at St John’s Cemetery in Nobber.

Mr Finegan said: “What the St John’s group and Council did in Nobber was fantastic and we are hopeful, if we can get the funding we can achieve the same result”.

There has also been issues with dumping and anti-social behaviour so the group are hoping to get CCTV installed.

If you would like to hear more about Ardmulchan Church, a talk titled “History with a View” is being given by Ardmulchan Graveyard Group as part of Heritage Week on Monday 14th August from 7-8pm. The event is at the grounds and is free to attend. Further details can be found on heritageweek.ie or queries can be emailed to ardmulchanchurch@gmail.com.