A chronicle of a West Limerick community's project to restore a centuries-old graveyard could guide others with similar projects.
Residents of the village of Ballybrown raised £14,500 from their own resources, the Church of Ireland, West Limerick Resources and FAS to restore the graveyard at Kilkeedy, a site of archaeological importance. The support and advice of Duchas, the Heritage Service, was invaluable. Companies in the area and the county council also sponsored the project.
"There is a little bit of insanity in everyone and it broke out in me," said Mr Frank Hanley, author of Kilkeedy - A Success Story from a Rural Parish of the Preservation of Historic Ruins, and project co-ordinator.
He hopes the site will become a visitor attraction. Members found restoration work complex and frustrating, lasting more than five years.
The removal of ivy from the steeple of the adjoining Church of Ireland, dating to the 13th century, revealed it was in a dangerous state and needed specialist treatment. The steeplejacks found 15 feet of stonework had to be removed, numbered and replaced. This cost £17,000.
On the advice of Duchas, no sandblasting, power hosing or use of chemical agents was allowed in cleaning headstones. Roots and tree stumps could not be dug out and rubble mounds could only be removed under supervision of an archaeologist. The ground level was not to be disturbed, which meant professional landscapers could not use mechanical equipment.
Cement-based mortar was forbidden in the restoration of the spire and parapets as it is impermeable and prevents walls from "breathing". A conservation architect at Duchas recommended banning it from the site. "If you start to repair an old wall, you can do more damage than good by using a hard cement mortar," Mr Hanley said.
The original stone had to be used where possible and work had to be recorded on photographs. "There is needless damage being done by enthusiastic people," he said.
An archaeologist's report on the site had to be submitted to Duchas with a plan of the works in mind.
Permission was received from the Church of Ireland. Finance was raised and a FAS scheme arranged. The committee liaised with the county council which emphasised the need for professional contractors to carry out the structural work and the requirement for public liability insurance. An archaeologist had to monitor works.
Setbacks included the theft of an 18th-century headstone, the incorrect rebuilding of a vault wall and window and the inappropriate use of cement mortar.
The rediscovery of two carved stone heads on the church was a bonus. These appear to date from medieval times, according to Ms Rachel Moss of the department of the history of art in Trinity College. Architectural fragments were found which are believed to have come from an earlier church on the site.
The works were commemorated by the erection of a "Famine Stone" in the graveyard, with words inscribed by M.J. MacManus. His verse reads:
A plague wind blew across the land,
Fever was in the air,
Fields were black that once were green,
And death was everywhere.