Public consultation in advance of Conservation Management Plan for Medieval Graveyard

Oranmore Heritage warmly welcomes the development of a Conservation Management Plan for Oranmore Medieval Church and Graveyard and pays tribute to Oranmore Tidy Towns for securing grant funding for this project. The plan will help guide how our Graveyard is cared for, protected and managed into the future.

The plan is being prepared with the support of Galway County Council and the Heritage Council, and is being developed through a collaborative process involving consultation with the Oranmore Community, Oranmore Tidy Towns, Oranmore Heritage and others.

Before the plan is drafted, the appointed consultant Liam Mannix of Research and Dig is undertaking a consultation process to ensure the the voices, memories and ideas of the community are included.

A Place of Local History and Heritage

Oranmore Heritage was founded in 2000 as the Old Graveyard Restoration Group by members of the Oranmore community who came together to protect the old graveyard when it was under threat of being developed for purposes other than a graveyard. At that time, the graveyard had been closed to new burials for almost fifty years. You can read more about the work of the original restoration here

Have your say

The Conservation Management Plan provides an opportunity for the wider community to contribute to the future care and management of Oranmore Medieval Church and Graveyard.

A range of consultation activities are being organised, including in person meetings, an online questionnaire and meetings with stakeholder groups.

Everyone with an interest in Oranmore Medieval Church and Graveyard is encouraged to take part.

Community Meetings

Two in-person community meetings have already taken place on site at Oranmore Medieval Church and Graveyard on 18th July to discuss the Conservation Management Plan. Two more opportunities to engage with the process are coming up:

Oranmore Heritage is hosting another session with Liam Mannix of Research and Dig as follows:

Saturday, 22 August

1.00pm – 2.00pm

Pastoral Centre, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Oranmore

This is a great opportunity to hear more about the plan, ask questions and share your views and ideas.

We would particularly encourage members, supporters and anyone with an interest in the Graveyard and family members of people buried there to come along. Your input can help shape how this important site is protected and valued into the future.

A second opportunity to engage

There will also be a further in-person consultation session at Oranmore Medieval Church and Graveyard:

Saturday, 22 August

3.00pm – 4.30pm

Oranmore Medieval Church and Graveyard

This will provide another opportunity to hear about the Conservation Management Plan and contribute your thoughts.

Online Questionnaire

For those unable to attend any of the community meetings, there is also an opportunity to contribute through a short online questionnaire which you can complete here.

Get Involved

We encourage everyone to participate and share their thoughts so that we can ensure that Oranmore Medieval Church and Graveyard continues to be cared for, understood and valued for generations to come.

Read more about the consultation process here and if you have any queries, you can email Liam Mannix on lmannix@researchanddig.com