Old Portmarnock Graveyard appears to be in Fingal Co Council ownership

After much debate over years about the ownership of the Old graveyard in Portmarnock (adjacent to the Portmarnock Hotel Golf Links), new evidence indicates that Fingal Co Council has inherited ownership. This evidence has been brought forward by the National Monument Service in the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The Graveyard and ruined Church for centuries was under the control of the Church of Ireland. From the period of the Reformation in the sixteenth century until 1870, the Protestant Church of Ireland was an Established Church, a virtual arm of state with civil as well as religious powers and functions. The Church of Ireland was disestablished by an Act of Parliament in 1869. On disestablishment its property was transferred to the Commissioners of Church Temporalities in Ireland. According to a recent letter sent by the National Monuments Service to the Fingal Co Manager it is stated:

“It appears that this monument is in the Ownership of Fingal County Council listed in the Irish Church Temporalities Commission Report for the period of 1869-80 under Balrothery Union as Burrow and in the parish of Portmarnock. This monument consists of a number of sites, DU015-00701 Church, DUOI5-00702 Holy well Site, DU015-00703 Ogham Stone site, DU015-00704 Graveyard, DU015-00705 Memorial slab which are listed in the Records of Monuments and Places for Co. Dublin and protected under the National Monument (Amendments) Acts 1930-2004”.

Officially the Balrothery Union was a forerunner of the local authority, and its assets were subsequently transferred to Dublin Co Council.

Cllr Peter Coyle raised the issue of the letter received from the National Monument Services at a recent Council meeting and asked the Manager to state if there are any plans in place to address the future maintenance of this graveyard in conjunction with local community groups. In his response the Manager stated:

“The correspondence received from the National Monuments Service in relation to the ownership of the old Portmarnock Graveyard has been referred to the Council’s Law Agent for legal advice.”

Over the past couple of years the local Portmarnock Lions Club have been involved in carrying out substantial maintenance of the graveyard, after it had become overgrown. There are many people in north Dublin and abroad that have relatives buried in this old graveyard, and it is now welcome that ownership is established and the protection of the graveyard comes under local authority and national control, according to Cllr Peter Coyle. The Lions Club hope to continue to be involved in partnership with the Council and guidance from the National Monument Service.