After a long campaign, the historic Aghaboe Abbey has rang in the new year by welcoming new signage into the community.
The initiative really sparked into life last year, when Laois County Council informed Councillors that Aghaboe was not officially designated as a village, and therefor would not qualify for village signs.
Aghaboe Abbey was founded by St Canice in the 6th century and was major centre of learning, commerce and agriculture as well as being the primary Christian abbey in the diocese of Ossory.
Fine Gael Cllr Conor Bergin took up the mantle and tabled a notice of motion to the Borris-In-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District, calling on the Council to overturn their decision and erect the appropriate signage.
“I was delighted to meet with members of the Aghaboe Abbey Preservation Committee to view the new entrance signs to the village which were erected by Laois County Council,” Cllr Bergin said.
“After many months of raising this issue with the Council, I am delighted that the new signs have finally been installed.
“Many thanks to Will Danagher and his crew in the Western Area, and Tony Saunders from the Aghaboe Abbey Preservation Committee for all their work in getting this project over the line.”
Among the monks from the Aghaboe Abbey was St Feargal, who was abbot before he left Ireland and built the cathedral at Salzburg, Austria in the 8th century.
The local connection with Salzburg in Austria is still very much alive, thanks to the continued efforts of the local committee and visitors from Austria regularly visit the Abbey, along with many tourists every year.
Today, a Church of Ireland stands where that priory once stood.
The church is excellently maintained by the local community and which dates from the 1700s,
“The Aghaboe Abbey Preservation Committee are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and I want to commend them on all of their hard work and voluntary efforts on keeping this hugely important historical landmark in Laois preserved for many future generations to come,” Cllr Bergin said.
The committee lit up the Abbey in green for New Year’s Eve as part of the celebrations.
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