Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Guím bliain fé mhaise ar an gCathaoirleach agus ar na Seanadóirí go léir fosta.

I thank the Senator for tabling her this matter. She mentioned that people can no longer visit their loved ones in the graveyard. A similar situation exists in my own county at the old Kilmacrennan Abbey. This is a matter to which we need to give serious consideration.

As the House will be aware, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht - who is unavailable today - is charged with responsibility, under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004, for the protection of our rich and vitally important archaeological heritage. The monumental remains at Killery, County Sligo, are of considerable interest in that they provide a link with the past history of the parish, which can be traced back to at least the 14th century.They also provide evidence of local ritual practices. The graveyard is still in use today. It contains many 19th and 20th century headstones and some low uninscribed grave markers as well as several chest tombs and recumbent grave slabs. In the north-east quadrant lies a thin stone slab. It is broken and partly covered in sods of grass but it has two round and five oval stones known as the curing stones. These stones were discovered in the graveyard when it was dug up and levelled in the 19th century. Adjacent to the stones is a small rectangular stone to which, according to early reports, was tied a piece of string that was known as the straining thread. These stones, together with the string or thread were reputed to cure strains, pains and aches in people and animals. The ruins of the medieval parish church are incorporated in the southern boundary wall of the graveyard and bear witness to a number of alterations that have been made over the centuries. It appears to have been rebuilt, possibly in the 18th century, when the east gable was reconstructed. The church also appears to have been reduced in size at this time by the insertion of a cross wall.

The monuments at Killery are protected under section 12 of the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004 as recorded monuments and two months notice must be given to the Minister, in writing, of any proposed work at these monuments. However, the care and maintenance of these monuments is the responsibility of the local authority; in this instance, Sligo County Council. It is appropriate that as a graveyard still in use the local authority would continue to be responsible for its management in this way. The Department currently manages and maintains almost 1,000 individual monuments at 768 locations across the State. Undoubtedly, the Senator is familiar with many of these such as the great megalithic cemeteries at Carrowmore and Knocknarea, the wonderful monastic complexes at Inishmurray Island and Church Island, Lough Gill, the superb high crosses and round tower at Drumcliff, the magnificent Sligo Abbey and, of course, the remarkable castle at Ballinafad. The existing portfolio reflects the rich and varied diversity of the county's built heritage. Regrettably the Department does not have the resources to take on additional sites at this time; however, I can assure the Senator that we will continue to keep this under ongoing review in light of changing resources.