TydavnetPride of Place 2012

Tydavnet•Parish in North Monaghan•One of the largest parishes in the Diocese of Clogher •Strong community spirit throughout the parish•Four villages in Parish•Over 60 community groups•For this competition, we felt it was fairest to define our community as those whose activities centre in and around the village of Tydavnet•Community of around 800 people

Tigh Damhnat – the house of DympnaPlace of respite for Dympna, an

acolyte of St Brigid, as she fled her insane father, a chieftain of Oiriall in the 7th Century

She settled in Geel, Belgium, where she worked with people with mental illness, pioneering the ‘care in the community’ approach which is the gold standard today

Eventually her father found her and beheaded her

Tydavnet Inhabited since the Bronze Age (2000 BC)The records of St Dympna mention the

village, and also the local well, which is a national monument• Gold discs found under a tree in

the village are now the emblem of the National Museum• 9th Century Crozier , ‘Bachall Damhnait’: people travelled from afar to swear on it to prove their bona fides. Also in National Museum

Our Twinning arrangement with Geel, Belgium

Started from a letter from local Macra Club

Officially signed a charter in 1992

Twinning has filtered all the way down through the community, and created new friendships and opportunities for all

Activities too numerous, so listed on separate handout.

22 people are heading out to Geel next week

Activities are organised around a 5-year calendar. Our largest group to go out to Geel was 54

InnovationThe area is known for family businesses and

entrepreneurshipWe were the first parish in Co. Monaghan to

get rural electrificationAt the forefront of new opportunities as they

emerged, eg poultry, furniture making, mushroom growing

We carry that same sense of ‘can do’ and ‘let’s give it a try’ through all our community work

‘Giving of Self’....In evidence in many

ways:EnvironmentallyCaringlyIn our CultureMonetarilySocially

Tidy Towns & local businesses team up to tackle littering

How we protect our EnvironmentTidy Towns

Marks increased from 174 in 2001 to 254 in 2011

Parish clean-up twice a year18th Century graveyard restored,

with unique mapping project completed

Hen Harrier habitat in Sliabh Beagh Gun club is managing the habitat to

increase grouse population, which will in turn increase harrier numbers

Released partridge last year, which had been extinct in the area

One of the unique mortality tombstones uncovered in our graveyard

The People of Tydavnet CAREWe look after our most

vulnerableSt Dympna’s tradition of

caring for the mental well-being of our community continues

Acorn Montessori pre-school and after-school

Faith & Light – support to families of children with learning disabilities. 90 members

Faith & Light on pilgrimage to Lourdes

Older people are treasured members of our community

Millennium Club meets every Wednesday

Run totally by volunteers Meals & activities for 80

people, including pc classes for older people

The recent 100th birthday of Pat Treanor was an all-community celebration

The three oldest citizens of the Parish were given the honour of

starting the National Elite Cycling Championships, which

were held in the Parish last summer

Preserving & promoting CultureSt Dympna’s WellPol an Aifreann (mass rock)

commemoration‘Hidden Heritage’ projectRestoration of school houses

Tydavnet village Cornagilta

Both used as community meeting places today

Local drama and Comhaltas groups

Graveyard mapping & conservation

Tydavnet Drama Troupe preparing for their 2012

production

Hidden Heritage Project•With Monaghan Museum and Library•Researched and developed by the community, with training provided in archaeological excavation, genealogy, creative writing, digital photography, oral history collecting and exhibition design•Reminiscence evenings in Cornagilta school•Collected & produced in exhibition•Captured minutiae of everyday life in Tydavnet, and also what it was like to live in the shadow of the Border and through the Troubles

Cornagilta Clean-up•Put a call out around the Parish for helpers•Over 20 people turned up one wet Saturday •Brought own equipment and skills•Finished with a BBQ and bit of craic•Came back again the following week to finish the job

Fundraising We raise funds for hundreds of causes,

from the international to the localOver €600,000 has been raised by the

community in the last five years alone, for charities and causes all over the world

‘The Ned Run’ last weekend, honours two local stalwarts of the community, raising funds for: Irish Heart Foundation Monaghan Hospice Homecare

Generous• Tydavnet people are famous for their generosity

• Local people have volunteered with:• Habitat for Humanity, Madagascar• Niall Mellon Township Trust, South Africa• We have put 1 local business and 2 local families back

on their feet following fires• Local people go out each year to orphanages in

Bulgaria to carry out repairs etc• Paid for a special diet for Theodora Strinski since she

was 4 in 1992– born with genetic condition PKU, which means her body can’t break down phenylalanine, leading to nerve & brain damage

Our LocationAlong the Border – road closures cut us off

from our neighboursCross-community A real pride in our people and our placeShown through:

The range of activities which run in the areaThe range of ages who participate in those – all

feel they belongThe leadership and selflessness of our people,

and how this is being continued by our children

Showing LeadershipPeacebuilding: Tydavnet Show has been

building relationships across the community and across the border since 1950

Culture: Eamonn O Muirí, co-founder of Comhaltas Ceoiltoiri Eireann in 1951

Sport: Past president of the GAA & current Ard-Stiúrtheoir

Local Development: Parish Plan in 1940’s First Group Water Scheme, model for the

country

Practical Approach Converted old school house into community centre, using 100%

voluntary labour and fundraising to cover materials

Response to loss of emergency services in Monaghan General Hospital Defibrillator scheme

Allotments: response to demand for ‘grow it yourself’ facilities from residents in Monaghan town

Unfinished housing in village – negotiating with developer to buy for community

Group Water SchemeSet up in 1984Serves 1000 homesPipe-laying facilitated by local

landowners, free of chargeLocal man went on to be policy

co-ordinator of the National Federation of Group Water Schemes

Model of best practiceUses latest technology to locate

leaks Telemetry system records daily

usage on each road

Parish PlanOne of two parishes in the whole of

Ireland to embark on a ground-breaking approach to area development in 1940’sParish Plan set out the needs of the parish &

how these were to be metWas the instigator for many initiatives which

are still going todayFollowed up with a second plan in the 1990’s

Our Parish Show“The Best Wee Show in Ireland”60 years in 2011Twinned with Armagh Show – we help them out on

show day, and they come down to usOver 100 people involved in running the showHuge community supportDraws people from North & South, doing

peacebuilding work throughout the TroublesWon Rehab Monaghan People of the Year overall

award & Rural Development category of Monaghan Integrated Development’s Community Achievement Awards in 2011

Riding for the Disabled class

The craic’s never too far away...

ExcellenceIn sport….

Killylough Tug O War team – 3 World Championships & 2 European titles, spanning 20 years of competition at the top of the sport

Numerous national titles in Special OlympicsHosted the National Elite Cycling

Championships in 2011

In culture….Macra – All-Ireland title for best novelty act

In enterprise….Young Farmer of the YearNational award for poultry productionNational award for mushroom production

And in peopleVolunteering spirit very strongEveryone belongs, and.......

We pull together!

Killylough Tug of War team – World Champions 3 times & 2

European titles

We are www.Tydavnet.com

At the launch of our website, which acts as a hub for community news. Over 20 groups are involved in

keeping it up to date