August 24, 2007
UNVEILING OF GREY ABBEY MONUMENT 22 AUG 2007
New Monument at Grey Abbey
At the Annual Graveyard Mass at Grey Abbey on Wednesday night, 7.30 p.m., 22 August 2007 a monument was unveiled to all those buried without record at Grey Abbey. Mass was consecrated by Parish Priest Fr. Adrian Carbery and Fr. Loughlin Flanagan. Fr. Carbery invited Fr. Flanagan to lay a wreath at the monument to commemorate all those who were buried in the graveyard but whose graves lie unmarked or unrecorded.
The monument was erected by the Grey Abbey Conservation Project and paid for from the proceeds of the ‘Church of the Oak’ book which was published late in 2006. It is hoped that the monument will provide a place for people to say a prayer or lay a wreath or flower in memory of their loved ones as so many people were buried there but it is impossible to locate the exact location of all the graves.
The beautiful monument was sculpted by local stone mason Sean Daly. It simply states
ALL THOSE BURIED HERE WITHOUT RECORD
AMEN.
whence you come, who you are and what shall become of you.
Kildare Poems – Early 14th Century
There are two crests - one a St. Brigid’s Cross representing the Parish of Kildare and the second, the Franciscan crest, as Grey Abbey was a Franciscan foundation. The latter crest was graciously supplied at extremely short notice by Fr. Ignatius Fennessy of the Franciscan Order, at their Library in Killiney - our sincerest thanks.
The wreath was supplied by Violets flowers shop and the plants each side were supplied by Guilfoyles Garden Centre - a truly local venture which was important to the Project from the outset. The Project is also grateful tothe Environment Section and National Monuments Advisory Committee of Kildare County Council who gave permission for, and advice on the erection of the monument.
The Council have also granted permission to have the gates restored and re-hung and it is hoped this will be accomplished in the next few weeks; once again this will be paid out of the proceeds of the book which also allowed the Project to purchase a new strimmer and lawn mower in 2007. Special tribute must be made to Paddy and Frank who look after the graveyard and had it looking absolutely beautiful for the mass. We would also like to thank Christy who was involved in this work until recently.
To all those who have helped along the way, especially Joe Connelly and the Cill Dara Historical Society, to all those who bought the book and the people of Kildare Town generally who have supported us throughout - THANK YOU.
Posted by mariocorrigan at 01:44 PM
November 08, 2006
CIVIL WAR MONUMENT CLEANED UP
The Civil War Monument erected by the National Graves Association in 1940 at Grey Abbey has been beautifully restored to its former glory. The surrounds have also been cleaned and chippings added to the grave to complete the restoration. The work was finished last week by Annette Emerson from Laois. She was engaged by Matt Doyle of the National Graves Association after being contacted by the Grey Abbey Conservation Project regarding the condition of the grave earlier this year. The National Graves Association paid for the restoration of the monument and the cleanup of the grave and earlier this year co-funded, with Kildare Tidy Towns, the restoration of the railings around the civil war monument on the Market Square. They hope to have a small ceremony in December 2006 in Kildare Town in honour of the men executed in 1922 and to mark the work done this year.
The Grey Abbey Conservation Project would like to gratefully thank them for their efforts and their commitment to their work, not just in Kildare but throughout the country.
The monument was erected to commemorate the seven I.R.A. Volunteers executed at the Curragh on the 18 December 1922. Their bodies were initially buried at the Curragh but they were re-interred in Grey Abbey in 1924. A moument was erected on the Market Square in 1935 and another at Grey Abbey in 1940 to mark the grave.
Photos from 12 April 2004
Photos from Monday 6 November 2006
The Civil War Monument at Grey Abbey has been restored by the National Graves Association
Posted by mariocorrigan at 12:28 AM
April 20, 2005
Grey Abbey launches New Website!
Now that we have the website up and running, we invite you to comment on it, and to suggest ways of improving the content we are currently providing on it.
Posted by kevinkelly at 02:31 PM