Historic Cork graveyard to undergo clean-up this weekend

CASTLEHYDE cemetery in Fermoy, the final resting place of the ancestors of Ireland’s first president and those of a legendary Cork rebel, will undergo a clean-up session this Saturday.

The clean-up is organised by Danny Higgins, who used to oversee the FÁS scheme that maintained the graveyard for 22 years, and the Castlehyde Restoration Project committee.

“We set up a committee of six of us there back in 2021 to try and tidy it up,” Danny explained. “I worked as a FÁS supervisor, and the graveyard was in my charge from 1994 until 2016 when I retired, but since then it’s kind of gone out of control.

“What we’re trying to do is keep the grass cut down and keep it nice and tidy, and hopefully we’ll be able to do something with the church in years to come,” he added.

Danny and a group of volunteers are also hoping to create a booklet that will have everyone’s name in alphabetical order alongside their grave number.

“There will be a site location map, and they will include the history of the graveyard and the graves,” he explained.

The clean-up will take place from 11am to 3pm on Saturday and Danny is hoping to see a number of volunteers turn out to help restore the graves and headstones to their former glory. “If anybody can come, even if they just give us an hour, we just want to paint gates, tidy up, put flowers into the pots, and we will do a bit of strimming around the edges,” he said.

The clean-up event will give history lovers the opportunity to spruce up the final resting places of the ancestors of the first president of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, who are buried in a special crypt at the back of the graveyard.

The ancestors of famous IRA leader and Corkman, Liam Lynch, are also buried in the graveyard.

Castlehyde is also the final resting place of William N Rowe, a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary , fatally shot on May 2, 1916, during a police raid on the home of the Kent family at Castlelyons in Cork.

Meanwhile, famous Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley, has purchased a double grave at the cemetery.