Contractors appointed to Turlough Church and Round Tower restoration project

Good news is being reported on the restoration of Turlough Church and Round Tower by Turlough Archaeological & Heritage Society.

Initially, these works are for the refurbishment of the cemetery roadside boundary wall.

As anyone who ever passes Turlough Cemetery will see, this roadside wall is in dire need of restoration. Certainly those who pass it daily, in its current state, will agree that it is an eyesore.

Cemeteries have a great story to tell, are part of our ancestral history and should be valued by all.

In the words of local Parish Priest, Fr. Peter Suttle: “The wall is a danger to everyone and we as a community should do something about it.”

The refurbishment works will consist of replacing the existing crumbling wall with a new structure in matching stone, style and finish to the church and tower.

Round towers are unique to Ireland. They are national monuments, part of our heritage, and in the ownership of the Minister for Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht.

Evidence of round towers can be found in almost every county in Ireland but only 11 remain in their original form.

Five of these are in Mayo, including Turlough and Killala which have their conical caps intact - Balla, Meelick and Aghagower have lost their conical caps.

As with all protected structures, strict regulations are in place to ensure that any proposed works fit with the structure and guidelines of the National Monument Service.

It has been confirmed that the proposed works on the wall at Turlough Cemetery have the required formal approvals, including ministerial consent, Mayo County Council approval, the required licenses for the proposed works with the National Monument Service and a prerequisite for the project to commence is that an archaeologist was appointed.

The best news of all is that they are now able to commence the works.

Jimmy Burke (stonemason), Ballinvilla, Castlebar, has been appointed to complete the works after winning a successful tender bid. Mayo County Council and councillors have funded the project in part, and the society have been successful with a grant application to the Heritage Council under the Community Heritage Grants Scheme.

A key factor to the success of the application with the Heritage Council was the cross community and business support received.

Project commencement is imminent and it’s the committee’s ambition to complete the wall build at the earliest possible time.

It is most likely that the work will be completed in stages as funding becomes available. The grant should cover approximately 60% of the wall refurbishment and the intention is to initiate some local fundraising to complete the works.

Members of the public can help by donating to Turlough Archaeological & Heritage Society at Permanent TSB, Castlebar, for Sort Code 99-07-29 for account 29247604 or for BIC: IPBSIE2DXXX & IBAN: IE11 IPBS99072929247604 or by liaising directly with a member of the committee, michaelmaguire555@hotmail.com.

All donations will be formally acknowledged, and a full set of audited accounts published by the committee.