The Ballyeglish Society

Ballyeglish is a very old religious sites. It requires maintenance. It never stops. Many of the trees have been there for hundreds of years and they also require care. Looking after the trees will not only help them to live longer, it also ensures safety for both the public and monuments.

With this in mind, Mid Ulster District Council, who have responsibility for maintaining the site, commissioned a tree survey. Contained within the report were recommendations for tree-cutting to some of the trees within Ballyeglish Old Graveyard.

Previously, The Ballyeglish Society had photographed the silhouettes of the trees for later comparison. Recently, we carried out a drone survey on the entire site to get a better idea of the changes that inevitably come with such work.

The directions for tree-cutting was for trees to be “thinned and crowned.” This is a process whereby dead branches are removed, and the overall weight of the tree limbs is reduced. The final result should not impact upon the visual presentation of the tree, to ensure a pleasing aesthetic.

The following video, although taken in strong winds which buffeted the small drone used, will show the finished product. We wish to state our satisfaction at the way it turned out. As you will see, there was quite a quantity of wood removed, but the trees have retained their shape. Success.

We feel that we must point out that the debris from tree-cutting is normally removed off-site on the same day or shortly thereafter, but suppose that Mid Ulster District Council is making preparation for that action in the immediate future. In related matters, The Ballyeglish Society has as yet received no word on what is to be done with the fallen Conwell Hawthorn or damaged monuments (seen in the video) from either Council (MUDC) or Historic Environment Division (HED). We are becoming slightly concerned at the delay. The possibility of perhaps saving some of the hawthorn, given the root system appears semi-intact, is being mooted. Watch this space.

On a much more negative note, we were notified by the HED that they had instructed the removal of small trees that were planted some years previous by The Ballyeglish Society. One holly tree, two yew trees and some blackthorn saplings were recently taken from the site to places unknown. These plants were paid for by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, along with the topsoil, compost and mulch used in planting them. Light bamboo rods and tags were also taken. When selecting the spots for planting, The Ballyeglish Society utilised existing holes and depressions to avoid digging (which action requires special permission and the presence of a highly paid state archaeologist).

The small trees grew solidly for two years with no complaints from the HED, being nurtured by our group over that time to ensure their survival. That’s two years of carrying water from the stream, up a hill and along the 50m path; two years of clearing away weeds; two years of monitoring. Yet, someone in an office somewhere seems to have gotten bored with pushing a pen around, and apparently decided to OK the removal of community property without first speaking with members of the local community. No attempt to communicate with any local group regarding this matter was made. Instead, a heavy-handed, and some might say arrogant, approach was adopted by the (big) HED.

Ironically, time and energy spent in these types of battles could be better used in restoring the site, yet local people do have rights which sadly are all too often ignored by officialdom, often with the most tenuous of reasoning. We believe that this issue has some way to go yet before it is resolved, if only because property belonging to The Ballyeglish Society has been taken without permission. Again, watch this space.

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