Fr. Francis Beirne, Chairperson of the County Roscommon Famine Commemorative Committee addressed the members regarding the famine graveyard in Bullys Acre, outside Roscommon town:

·        The Famine or An Gorta Mór was one of the biggest tragedies of Irish history and had long-term consequences for generations, with starvation, eviction, emigration disease and death experienced during this time.

·        Between 1841 and 1851 the population of County Roscommon decreased by 80,000 (31%)

·        The Roscommon Workhouse housed 1,300 people with a further 900 people were waiting to use the facility and many people died there.

·        Hundreds of famine victims who dies in the workhouse were buried in unmarked and uncommemorated graves in Bully’s Acre and many more were buried there in subsequent years up to 1939. Bully’s Acre is now an open field with no perimeter fence to designate it as a sacred burial ground.

·        In 1999, a monument was erected near the site of the former Workhouse at Teach de hÍde. It is worth noting that this is one of the few workhouses in the country that is unaltered and intact.

·        He proposed the Council should consider:

o   The development of an area in the reception area of the workhouse and Bully’s Acre as an important cultural memory and its inclusion in the Roscommon Heritage Trail.

o   The designation  of Bully’s Acre as a recorded graveyard on the maps of the draft Roscommon town local area plan to be zoned as a public and community infrastructure

o   The provision of public access to the site of the graveyard and the construction of an appropriate memorial to mark the burial site.

o   The reinstatement of the physical link between the workhouse and the graveyard in line with active travel measures.

·        The development of the site under any statutory plans by Roscommon County Council would give fitting long overdue recognition both to the site and the victims of the famine buried there.

Members welcomed Fr. Beirne’s informative presentation and discussed the proposals at length.

It was PROPOSED by Cllr. Waldron

  and SECONDED by Cllr. Dineen

That Roscommon County Council appropriately commemorate the victims of An Gorta Mór in the following manner:

-        provide public access to Bully’s Acre burial ground

-        erect a secure perimeter fence to secure the scared burial site

-        zone the site as public and community infrastructure

-        construct an appropriate memorial as commemoration to those buried there

-        develop the workhouse reception area and an important cultural memory and

-        the inclusion of Bully’s Acre as a tourist asset on the Roscommon Heritage Trail.

In response to the proposal the Cathaoirleach stated that a motion on this matter had been discussed at a previous Council meeting and the decision of the Members was to refer the matter to the appropriate Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) to develop a policy in the first instance. This would involve the input of the heritage officer and funding of such developments would also have to be discussed and considered. He also recommended that Fr. Beirne’s proposals be considered at the next SPC.

The members were supportive of the presentation and the proposals in general but agreed that the matter had been sent to the SPC to formulate a policy that would cover all such sites across the county, citing the fact that there are Bully’s Acre sites in the vicinity of a number of towns. They recognised the need to record all such sites, including ownership and access.

There was also some support for the proposal that this particular site have a perimeter fence erected in the meantime.

It was PROPOSED by Cllr. Waldron

And SECONDED by Cllr. Ward

That a perimeter fence be erected around Bully’s Acre in Roscommon as a matter of urgency.

The Chief Executive thanked Fr. Beirne for painting a very vivid picture of the famine and its catastrophic consequences. He acknowledged Bully’s Acre was a significant site in Roscommon town but said every parish in the county had been affected by the famine and there were Bully’s Acre’s across the county. Any proposed works for this or other sites would require a budget but it is  important the SPC was first allowed to develop a policy. The fencing off of the Bully Acre’s site is not insurmountable but as the area is landlocked, it will require access by means of right of way and a budget for such works will have to be funded by the Roscommon Municipal District

Director of Services, Mr. Mark Keaveney stated there needs to be a county wide policy in respect of all burial grounds with safe access and appropriate funding available to progress projects. 

Responding to the discussions, Fr. Beirne said people from all over county Roscommon were buried at the Bully’s Acre site in Roscommon town and because the site is a Cemetery, there is a perceptive right of way.  He appealed for the site to be fenced off as a matter of urgency with the focus on the victims of the famine, a commemoration should be a policy.

Following a short recess, the Cathaoirleach reminded members that agreement had been reached at the previous October plenary meeting to defer any decisions to the SPC meeting, pending the development of a policy document on all famine burial grounds. It was confirmed that the next scheduled meeting of the SPC will take place on 4^th April and it will be placed on the agenda for that meeting.

Cllr. Waldron then agreed that he would await the outcome of the SPC meeting but as he was not a members of this particular SPC he would like to be in attendance. Cllr Leyden, as Chairperson of the SPC confirmed that he would be welcome to attend the meeting.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fitzmaurice

SECONDED by Cllr. Crosby

It was AGREED that Cllr. Waldron could attend and speak at the SPC meeting.