Re: Re: reorganisation and destruction of irish catholic churches

Wouldn’t it be interesting if the Heritage Council got each county to follow this Monaghan example, then combine all the collected information on Ireland’s Churches together to form one unique database. . .Then again, maybe that’s already the long term goal.

County Monaghan Church Inventory and Guide
Terms of reference
Invitation to tender
All tenders must be submitted in writing and marked
County Monaghan Church Survey and addressed to
Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Monaghan County Council,
The Glen, Monaghan by 19th March 2010, at 4.30pm.
This project will implement part of the County Monaghan Heritage Plan 2006 –
2010, and jointly funded by Monaghan County Council, the Heritage Council and
supported by the County Monaghan Heritage Forum.
Introduction
The majority of people in Ireland have a religious affiliation, and church buildings
matter to those of all faiths and none. Churches are often the only architect designed
building in small rural communities. Church building has been a major
stimulus to the development of architecture and architectural decoration in
Ireland. The various building techniques and crafts using stone, wood, metal,
paint and glass add to their influence. The portfolio of heritage assets,
represented by churches, has been the focal point for the community for
generations, and more recently has a key role to play in tourism. Churches are
buildings of cultural merit; they are historic places and landmarks as well as
places of public worship. There is value in recording their architecture and
explaining its significance for dissemination among the congregation and more
widely within in the county.
There are 23 civil parishes in Co. Monaghan, which is entirely in the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Clogher. Church of Ireland parishes generally follow the same
pattern. Many smaller religious affiliations also built or maintain places of
worship. Chapels and mausolea have also been built in graveyards. Some have
fallen out of use, or have non-religious current uses. Different figures exist as to
the number of churches in the county. The Heritage Council Ecclesiastical Survey
(incomplete) indicates a figure of about 75 churches in the county. However,
there are 90 churches on the Record of Protected Structures in Co. Monaghan and
in 2006 Monaghan County Council identified a further four churches of
architectural merit. The County Monaghan Graveyards Survey (1998, McMahon
and O’Neil) indicates that there may be as many as 130 churches.
Objective
To create an up-to-date inventory of churches in Monaghan and to raise
awareness of importance of church buildings in the county.
Aims
The aims of the project are:
 To identify, map, photograph and record all past or present post-1700
buildings that were originally churches, chapels and mausolea in Co.
Monaghan to NIAH standard.
 To determine the current use of the church.
 To identify the condition of the buildings utilizing the National Inventory of
Architectural Heritage ‘condition’ criteria.’
 To identify and photograph any associated buildings on site.
 To identify if a burial ground is attached, and the extent of their historic
area.
 To compile text and images for a guide to churches in the county that will
include easily accessible location information.
Outputs of the project are:
 Written report and inventory on the Churches of Co. Monaghan
 Access database of churches of County Monaghan.
 Photographic archive.
 Guide to churches in County Monaghan. Monaghan County Council will
arrange design and printing of the guide. The text and photographs will
be provided by the successful contractor for this project. It is intended that
the guide will be ready for distribution by December 2010.
Additional project details
Monaghan County Council has up to date information on about 10 churches,
through applications to the conservation grant scheme or declarations. There will
be no need to repeat surveys in these instances, although the details must be
included in the inventory.
The successful contractor will liaise with representatives from the church and
religious bodies prior to the commencement of the project.
Required outputs
1. Detailed written report including an executive summary and an inventory
of the churches in County Monaghan.
2. Electronic database inventory.
3. Photographic archive: Digital photographs showing elevations of each
church, architectural detail and detail to interior.
4. Text and images for a publication on County Monaghan Churches.
5. Lecture or tour, devised in agreement with the Heritage Officer, to
illustrate the highlights of the survey findings, to take place during Heritage Week
(21st – 29th August)
6. Presentation to a meeting of Monaghan County Council (or the Heritage
Forum), if requested, after the completion of the project.
On completion of the project the following should be provided:
 5 hard copies of the project report, including one unbound.
 5 electronic copies of the report
 Electronic copies of all maps etc. Base maps on Map Info can be provided
by Monaghan County Council to the consultant.
 5 CD-ROM containing all digital photographs from the project.
 Text and images for the publication.

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