St Patrick’s Graveyard Trail Launch
Mon, October 19, 2015
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Coleraine Museum and St Patrick’s Church recently launched the Graveyard Trail on Monday 12th October in Coleraine with support of the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Michelle Knight-McQuillan and in partnership with Edward Montgomery and The Honourable The Irish Society. The project was generously funded by the Honourable The Irish Society. Pupils from Ballysally Primary School, D.H. Christie Memorial Primary School, Sandelford School and St Malachy’s Primary School assisted staff from St Patrick’s Church and Coleraine Museum to develop trails of the grave yard. Sarah Carson, Collections Access Officer at Coleraine Museum commented; ‘The pupils recorded the inscriptions on the gravestones, identified the different styles of stones, took rubbings, photographs and made sketches. All this hard work contributed to two trails; a Big Business and a History Detective trail. ‘The Big Business trail provides insight into some of the local business people buried in the graveyard, dating from the 18th century onwards. Some of the families, such as the Bishop family, still have businesses in the town today. ‘The History Detective trail contains questions that encourage visitors to search the gravestones and memorials, both inside and outside the church, to discover information about past residents of the town. ‘I would like to thank The Honourable The Irish Society for funding this project. It has been wonderful to work with St Patrick’s Church and all the schools involved, I’d like to extend my thanks to them also. ‘The trails are now available in St Patrick’s Church or via the Visitor Information Centre in Coleraine Town Hall. I would encourage everyone to pick up a brochure and explore the remarkable history of the Church.” For more information on Coleraine Museum and upcoming projects, please contact Sarah Carson, Collections Access Officer at Coleraine Museum on 028 7034 7213 or email sarah.carson@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk END