So Much History on our Doorstep!

Last Friday (14-10-16) the students from 5th & 6th class went on a historical walk around the village. While on our walk we went to view the new carving at the Balrothery Heritage centre. Richie Clarke is the name of the sculptor who was busy working while we visited the amazing carving of the Baron of Balrothery, a Norman and his full-size shield. Richie has been working on this carving for over 10days at that point and hoped to finish it soon. We had a great opportunity to ask some interesting questions and we were fascinated with his work. It really is worth a visit!

On return, we visited the standing stone in Cloch Choirnéal housing estate which has ogham writing. While there, we had a good view of  the large mound located near the Cricket Club which can be seen from this standing stone. This large mound is a burial ground similar to the ones in Newgrange! 

We then went to view the newly erected stone in the recently restored grass area on the way to the Golf Club. This area is known as 'The Cukoo' and it seems there was once a pub in this area. We admired the new tree planted in memory and the lovely knitted creations from the nursing home on the existing trees. 

Finally, we visited the old Primary school which is located on the back lane. We were delighted to see the old school entrance has been cleared and we got to see the remains of the building. While we were there, a neighbour, Christy White, shared some interesting knowledge on the school building. He told us that it was once a church. While it was a school, the boys and girls entered and played in separate areas. One of the holy water fonts from the church can now be found in Balbriggan church. 

We had a really great time visiting all the historical sites which are just on our doorstep! We appreciate the rich history in our area and take pride in our village. We can see that the local community is working very hard to restore old buildings and to keep our village clean.