Calls for protection of Kildare ‘famine wall’

By Pune Media On Mar 10, 2025

A Fine Gael councillor has called for repair works to be carried out on an historic but collapsed ‘famine wall’ in County Kildare.

According to Cllr Tim Durkan, who was speaking at a recent municipal district meeting, the wall in question runs alongside Carton House, along the R148 in Maynooth, Co Kildare.

Speaking at the MD meeting, Cllr Durkan told councillors they had all heard of Donadea Forest Park, and discussions around protection of the walls there, but he said the wall at Carton Demesne was “no different.”

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He said he asked previously about this and for a letter to be sent, but he wasn’t aware if there had yet been a response back from Carton House or the management of Carton House in relation to the issue.

The wall he said, “is part of our built heritage, it is a famine wall originally paid for by the Fitagerald family to give employment to local people so that they could feed themselves during the famine.”

There are large sections of the wall in Co Meath, he said, that have collapsed, and although

“unfortunately we have no say as to what happens in Co Meath”, it was incumbent on the council to act in this case.

Cllr Durkan pointed out that the particular section of the wall to which he referred is in Co Kildare, and is collapsing into a public walkway or track.

He said, “putting it diplomatically”, there is “confusion” over who actually owns the wall, but he checked the matter himself, and it comes within the folio of Carton House.

Cllr Durkan asked that another letter be written to Carton House explaining “this is part of our heritage” and is a protected structure, with Carton House “probably being one of the most important houses in the country in terms of our history.”

Unfortunately, he said, Carton House did not seem to recognise their responsibilities in terms of maintaining or reconstituting the wall.

It was agreed by the council that the local authority write to the owners of Carton House, Maynooth, requesting works to be carried out on the collapsed wall.

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