Abhartach's grave, now known as Slaghtaverty Dolmen, and is locally referred to as "The Giant's Grave".
Speaking at a recent Development committee meeting of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Malachy Quinn called on council officers to harness the rich heritage around storytelling, as well as legendary characters and local history, to promote the district.
The SDLP representative for Torrent DEA remarked that the magical trails inaugurated in Pomeroy Forest last May, as part of a wider £7m project, were illustrative of what can be done to promote local heritage.
He also referred to the many local myths and legends which could be brought to the fore as part of an overall Heritage strategy.
The new magical trail at Pomeroy Forest is part of a £7m project designed to enhance its potential as a major visitor attraction.
Cllr Quinn commented:
“We are doing an event at Craic Theatre [in Coalisland], a Samhain/Halloween storytelling event.
“There’s a load of local tales that have come to the forefront, particularly the Fairy Hills in Galbally, the Haunted Well – I think it’s in Moortown – there’s one about Abhartach, just outside Garvagh, which was the precursor to Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
“With all the fairy tales around Pomeroy Forest that are being promoted, is there anything on that side that the Council have ever looked into, to promote these local stories and sites, for example Abhartach’s grave?
“Has the council ever looked into that, thinking maybe that’s something we could exploit or promote?”
A council officer explained that this was an aspect to local heritage which was being looked into:
“Yes, now that tourism is overseeing heritage, it’s something maybe that we could look at, the storytelling element of it, because there’s fantastic stories throughout Mid Ulster, and we are currently working through our action plan for heritage.
“That’s something that we could look at and explore those stories, especially around Halloween that we are very well known for.
“We used to do spooky nights and storytelling, so that’s maybe something that we could look at again as part of our Hidden Heritage programme.”
Councillor Cora Corry (Sinn Féin, Carntogher DEA) recalled that the need had been identified before for a heritage officer, and she expressed the hope that such a position would be created in the future:
“I feel that’s really important that we do look at that, because we’re missing out so much on different events – different and unique to ourselves – that we could promote.”
The council officer referred to the wealth of local Heritage that could be promoted even more, including Tullyhogue Fort, Davagh Forest, OM Dark sky Park and Observatory, and the newly-opened Gorta/Swatragh’s Family Story which, among others, tells the story of Dr Mooney who set up a soup kitchen to support the local community during the famine years which decimated Ireland’s population in the mid-19th century.
The council representative said:
“I hope to bring something to this committee, in the next few months, an update on the draft heritage strategy and our action plan, so we will be in touch, and I also would like to present the draft strategy to the members before we finalise that.
“We don’t have a heritage officer but we are doing heritage within Mid Ulster. I have a great team and we have a very active heritage cluster, we’re out meeting the communities, working with Heritage Lottery, and we have put in an application to Heritage Lottery for Tullyhogue Fort, and I’ll be bringing an update report on that.
“So we are doing heritage and we now have to marry our tourism with that and with our campaigns, because really that’s what Mid Ulster is known for – our heritage, certainly around the Davagh and Broughderg area.
“With this autumn campaign we’re talking about our lovely walks, dark skies.
“I know a few of the councillors were at the Gorta [visitor centre] launch up in Swatragh, and we want to showcase that lovely story because it’s not about famine, it’s just about this fantastic doctor that was up in Swatragh.”
Comments