Attymass History and Heritage

The Attymass History and Heritage group is dedicated to collecting, researching, preserving, and celebrating our parish's unique cultural identity, ensuring that our traditions and stories are preserved and documented. While formally constituted in March 2026, our group has been active as a community initiative since September 2025, visiting and researching our local heritage sites. What started as a common interest in exploring these historic sites has developed into a shared desire to preserve the history of our area. We are a volunteer-led, not-for-profit, and non-political group. Our mission is to collect, research and document the rich heritage of our parish. We aim to record oral histories, preserve historical photographs, compile genealogical records, research the everyday traditional farming way of life in the area, alongside documenting the history of essential local institutions such as the old schools, old shops, the post office, pubs, and our local church and clergy. We also aim to research the area's rich industrial heritage, including local mills, the lace school and traditional trades such as tailors and blacksmiths (forges). Additionally, we are dedicated to recording our local role in the fight for Independence. Through ongoing research and physical archives, our long-term goal is to digitise these records. By making these vital records and new findings searchable and accessible to the local community, the wider Attymass diaspora, and all those interested in our local heritage, we aim to ensure this history is preserved for future generations. Since March 2026, our official committee has been holding regular meetings to plan a local Famine Commemoration, building on our heritage site walks carried out over the past six months. This event will be held on May 17th, 2026, and will include a public walk along the historical 'Famine road' known as 'Bearna na gCorp' (the Gap of the Bodies), which was used to carry the deceased for burial to the local graveyard during The Great Hunger. This event will conclude with a wreath-laying ceremony at the graveyard. We aim to involve the whole community in honouring our local history. Note: This event is subject to permission from the relevant landowners and insurance approval.