GRAIGUENAMANAGH
GRAIG NOTES
email news items, club events, announcements etc for the notes to graignotes@outlook.com. Deadline is Thursday 6 p.m.
DUISKE ABBEY
Duiske Abbey is closed due to the recent lock down till further notice.
ST FIACRE’S PILGRIM
Last Monday, February 8, was the annual pilgrim in honour of Saint Fiacre at his sixth century church ruins and Holy well at Ullard. There was a good turnout even though the weather was not very kind. It’s a tradition that is carried on here for a few hundred years.
JOHN SHORTALL RIP
Deepest sympathy to May and all the Shortall family following the recent passing of John Shortall, St Martin’s, Harristown, Graiguenamanagh.
Over 50 years ago (1970) John Shortall was a road overseer in the Graiguenamanagh district for the Kilkenny Council. And in mid-July Mr Teddy Hughes received a message from the Kilkenny Archaeological Society that a group called ‘The friends of Saint Fiacre’ including a Bishop from Meaux in France were planning to visit two St Fiacre shrines in Co Kilkenny in mid-August, one in Sheestown three miles from Kilkenny City and the other at Ullard near Graiguenamanagh.
So Mr Hughes contacted the local Ullard Hall committee to call a meeting to see was it possible to organise the visit in such a short time. A meeting was held and is was felt it was impossible to organise it due to lack of space around the church ruins and a lack of time.
It was then proposed to ask John Shortall could any thing could be organised around the church ruins. John then contacted Mr Doran area engineer and eventually John contacted the committee that he hoped to organise a square in front of the church ruins and beside the road and would involve a lot work and fillings etc.
John organised its plan and every detail of the square as it is to the present day. Mass was celebrated on August 24, 1970, at 6.30 p.m. And it is due to John Shortall’s trojan organisation and hard work that allows the Ullard Mass committee to continue to have the annual Mass celebrated there every year since. May he rest in peace.