Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 27 Jun 2001

Vol. 539 No. 2

Written Answers. - National Monuments.

Jim Mitchell

Question:

146 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if her attention has been drawn to the date of opening of the children's graveyard in the Bishop's Field, Limerick; the number of burials; when it was closed; if her attention has further been drawn to the length and width of the graveyard and its precise location; if her Department conducted any investigations into the allegation that there are two graveyards on the plot of ground and that one is a plague-famine graveyard of the 17th or 18th centuries; the plans she has make such investigations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19229/01]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

The site at Bishop's Field, is included in the Record of Monuments and Places (Amendment Act), 1994. The survey of files for such recorded sites are available for inspection in the offices of my Department. There is little information regarding the children's graveyard in question – one brief reference is found in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 1904-1905. Aside from this my Department has no other information. There is no mention of the plague-famine graveyard, as recent sites are not normally included in the Record of Monuments and Places. However, an area around a recorded graveyard would be considered archaeologically sensitive and my Department would monitor any developments impacting on such an area.

My officials will inspect the site later this year but otherwise, I have no current plans to carry out further research on this recorded monument.