Applicant: Irvinestown Fairs and Market Trustees
Location: Irvinestown, Co. Fermanagh
Grant awarded: £10,000
Grant programme: Your Heritage
Type of heritage: Land and Biodiversity
Benefits: More Visitors and no longer an eyesore

Aims of the project
To restore the graveyard and clock tower back to its original state in order to make it more physically accessible to both the local community and visitors. The project also aimed to provide information on the history of the graveyard and to encourage the local community to visit the graveyard and explore the wealth of local heritage on the site.

Background to the project
The Church of Ireland graveyard is closely linked with the old Irvine estate and tenant families. Before the project only families who have burial plots and a few other individuals were interested in the graveyard. There are a lot of clergymen buried in the graveyard as well as two World War I graves and there is a lot of history within the graveyard that the Irvinestown Fairs and Market Trustees felt the majority of people within Irvinestown, did not know about.

What did the project involve?
The Irvinestown Old Graveyard project involved a number of different jobs in order to make it more accessible to both the people of Irvinestown and visitors to the village. A new entranceway was created, to allow the older and disabled visitors easier access. Damaged headstones had to be taken away and restored by professionals. The high stone wall which ran around the outer perimeter of the graveyard had to be reduced in size as it was hiding the graveyard from sight, this was particularly important as the graveyard is very much a focal point of the village. Some of the iron surrounds were also repaired in keeping with the original design. Paths were developed along the traditional lines of movement between graves allowing people to walk around the graveyard more easily. The base of the tower was refurbished to provide a centre for information on the site with interpretation of local history and tourist information. The trustees worked closely with Fermanagh District council, EHS, local businesses and the Northern Ireland Tourist board to carry out the project.

What difference did the project make?
One of the main aims of the project was to make it more accessible for people to wander around and learn more about their village’s history and maybe even family history. The project has given local people that chance but it has also allowed visitors the opportunity to come along and learn a bit about Irvinestown’s past. It has brought the community together and has given the local schools a tool to work with when teaching subjects such as local history and geography. The children can learn more about where they came from and about the stories of the people buried in the graveyard. There were other unexpected benefits from this small project, it raised civic interest and pride in the area and the town has seen a reduction in the levels of petty vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

How did the project meet our criteria?
The project has restored a vital part of Irvinestown’s heritage and has increased the awareness of local history throughout the village, among local people young and old. It has helped people to enjoy and understand their village’s heritage and also given the local community something to be proud of, a project that they were involved in.

Useful tips
Henry Keys, Chair of The Irvinestown Fairs and Trustees, comments: