Next phase of  Clonmany parish graveyards survey is underway

The next phase of a project to complete a comprehensive graves survey across the three graveyards of the Clonmany parish is underway.

Clonmany Genealogy and Heritage Group and Clonmany Parish are behind the community initiative.

The latest stage follows months of dedicated planning and preparation by volunteers, who put in place the structures needed to begin the project. 

With the groundwork complete, costs were obtained for the professional surveying of the graveyards, and Irish Graveyard Surveyors of Balla, Co Mayo were commissioned to carry out the work.

 An intensive fundraising campaign soon followed, and thanks to the remarkable generosity of the Clonmany community—both local and overseas—the target was not only met but surpassed. 

The Clonmany Genealogy and Heritage Group and the Clonmany Festival Committee each contributed €1,500, while a GoFundMe campaign secured the remaining funds.

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Marie Turner Doherty, chairperson of the Clonmany Genealogy and Heritage Group, said the organising committee has been overwhelmed by the level of support received. 

“Clonmany has always been quick to support community projects, and everyone realised that a graves index of the three graveyards was something very worthwhile,” she said, adding that messages of support were received from near and far, in addition to generous donations and pledges. The entire project team is made up of volunteers, and every cent raised went directly to funding the surveys. 

Draft maps of the graveyards are now on public display in St Mary’s Church, Clonmany, and St Michael’s Church, Urris. 

Parishioners are invited to review the maps and report any errors or omissions. Alteration Sheets are available at both locations for noting discrepancies, which should be forwarded to the surveyors using the address provided. The draft maps will remain on display for several weeks to allow ample time for corrections.

For those unable to visit either church, the draft maps and alteration sheets are also available online via the Irish Graveyard Surveyors website.

Once this phase of the project is completed, permanent maps will be installed at each of the three graveyards, and a searchable online database will be created on the Irish Graveyard Surveyors website. Both the maps and the online database will be updated every three years to ensure continued accuracy.

“This has been a community project in every sense,” Ms Doherty said. 

“It is planned, supported and funded by the Clonmany community at home and abroad, and it will provide a much-needed resource for the local community, and the Clonmany diaspora around the world, for many years to come.”