Newbridge Tidy Towns To Tackle Historic Great Connell Priory Graveyard With €22,500 Grant

Thursday, 22 May 2025 10:12

By Martin Osborne

Butterfly Conservation Ireland also received €2,881 for a multi-county project that includes work in Kildare.

Over €25,000 in heritage funding has been allocated to two initiatives in Kildare as part of a national €1.9 million grant scheme from the Heritage Council.

In Kildare, Newbridge Tidy Towns Association has been awarded €22,500 to develop a Conservation Management Plan for the remains and graveyard of Great Connell Priory in Newbridge.

The site, once one of Ireland’s largest and wealthiest monastic foundations, now consists of partial ruins and an overgrown cemetery.

The project will assess the site’s condition and propose a strategy for its preservation and potential public access.

Butterfly Conservation Ireland also received €2,881 for a multi-county project, with that money going towards its work in Kildare.

The grants follow a national call for applications earlier this year, which attracted proposals from community groups, volunteers, and heritage organisations nationwide.

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