Tidy Towns group gets grant to begin conserving 800 year old Kildare ruins

Kildare South Fine Gael TD and Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, and the Marine has welcomed the allocation to Newbridge Tidy Towns Group from funding for heritage projects such as Great Connell Priory. 

Founded in 1202, the Priory on the banks of the Liffey in Newbridge, is a former significant house of Augustinian priests.

It has been suggested that the masonry from the then crumbling Priory building was used in the construction of the nearby British Army Barracks in the early 1800s. 

Minister Heydon said the Community Heritage Grant Scheme will enable the Newbridge community to conserve and celebrate Kildare’s built, cultural, and natural heritage.

“It’s fantastic to see funding of €22,500 confirmed for Newbridge Tidy Town’s to carry out a Conservation Management Plan for the standing remains and graveyard of Great Connell Priory in Newbridge.

“The Tidy Towns group do fantastic work in keeping Newbridge presentable to the many people who pass through it, and also do important work in protecting our shared heritage.

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 “The Community Heritage Grant Scheme is a vital means of helping our communities across Ireland and indeed here in Kildare to protect the places, stories, and traditions that matter most to us. I am particularly delighted to see this funding for Newbridge Tidy Towns. They are very active group with many volunteers who give of their time for the benefit of their community and local area.

 Concluding Minister Heydon said: “We are proud of our community groups and heritage organisations in Kildare that work so hard to protect and promote our heritage. These groups around the County such as Newbridge tidy towns are a key means of strengthening our local identity. This funding will ensure our traditions and stories are protected long into the future”.