Call to reinstate Commemorative Stone
Some ten years after it disappeared from public view, yet another rally call is being made to reinstate Drogheda’s 800 commemorative stone.
Local businessman Niall Kierans is leading the latest charge to free the large stone from the confines of the local council yard in Fair Street, where it has languished for almost a decade.
“I have been arguing to have this stone out back on public display for years, and I’ll never give up until someone listens,’ says Niall with a laugh.
“I first put the case to Town Clerk Des Foley almost ten years ago, and he said to leave it with him, but he left Drogheda a short time later!”
Drogheda celebrated its 800th anniversary in 1994 and the stone was commissioned at a cost of thousands of pounds as it was at the time, as part of the celebrations to mark the event.
The removal of the stone coincided with work on St Peter’s Church and the roadworks on West Street but has been lying in the council yard ever since.
“The church made it clear it doesn’t want the stone on its grounds, which is fine, but I proposed two alternative sites either at the Moorland Café or the Permanent TSB, both of whose managers thought was a great idea,” adds Niall, whose family has owned Kierans’ Delicatessen in West Street for over 70 years.
“As well as being a waste of money hidden away - and the hope is it hasn’t been damaged over the years – we should be proud of our heritage.
“It would be yet another tourist attraction, and a talking point for the visitors coming to the Fleadh, if not this year, then in 2019.”