Friends of Bully's Acre Drogheda

19/09/2026

They Walked to the Ships 🇮🇪

A powerful Celtic folk anthem remembering the thousands of Irish people who left their homeland during the Great Famine, walking from their homes and villages towards the ports and the ships that would carry them across the Atlantic.

They left Ireland behind — but they carried its music, memories, names and stories with them.

“They walked to the ships, they walked through the rain…
They carried their dreams and their old country too.”

A song of remembrance for those who left, those who never returned, and the generations who came after them.

🇮🇪 Ireland remembered.
Their journey remembered.
Their story lives on.
@top fans

09/09/2026

Robert Farrell
Found this book for sale online it says Opened at the start of the nineteenth century, Bully’s Acre is the final resting place of soldiers, battle hardened veterans of the Napoleonic Wars and various townspeople from all social classes of Birr. However, due to neglect it soon became a place where undesirables lurked. The cemetery is an important but forgotten part of Birr’s heritage and this book hopes to bring the history of the burial ground and the people buried there back into public awareness.

24/08/2026

Bullys Acre cut today could be the last cut for this year not much growth thanks to George hoey and company for all your help during the year

20/08/2026

13/08/2026

History & Heritage Walk n Talk.
Community Historian Brendan Matthews will present the final History & Heritage Walk n Talk for the summer of 2026 on Wednesday evening August 19th next starting at the bottom of Mary Street at 7.30pm. Brendan will take you on this intriguing walk through a rural hidden section of the Dale Valley for the first time along some old tracks & trails and passing underneath the Navan Railway-line in the Dale; returning by Bully`s Acre through Sunnyside to St. Mary`s Cottages on the mount before descending down the 101 steps back into the Dale where the walk will finish where it began just after 8.30pm. Free to attend with donations if desired for the further research and presentation of a `living-history`.

01/08/2026

The Heart of Bully's Acre ( sound on )

31/07/2026

The HSE is not providing standard planning and environmental warranties/assurances to the Council.

explanation

Read

Standard planning and environmental warranties are contractual promises made by the seller about the condition and legal status of a property. They help protect the buyer by allocating risk if problems are discovered later.

Planning warranties

These typically cover matters such as:

The property has the necessary planning permissions for buildings or works that have been carried out.
There are no known breaches of planning law.
No planning enforcement notices have been issued or are pending.
The seller has not received notices from the planning authority about unauthorised development.
Any required building control or completion certificates have been obtained (where applicable).
Environmental warranties

These usually deal with issues such as:

The seller is not aware of contamination affecting the land.
The seller has not caused pollution or knowingly allowed pollution to occur.
There are no known investigations by environmental regulators.
There are no known underground storage tanks, hazardous waste, or illegal dumping on the property (unless disclosed).
The seller has complied with applicable environmental laws, so far as they are aware.
Why they matter for cemetery land

For a historic cemetery such as Bully's Acre, a buyer may want additional assurances or may instead agree that certain risks remain with the seller. Issues that could arise include:

Historic burials and human remains.
Archaeological or heritage protections.
Ground conditions.
Future maintenance responsibilities.
Liability if unknown issues are discovered after the transfer.

Because of these potential issues, a public authority acquiring a cemetery may seek specific contractual protections that go beyond the standard warranties used in an ordinary land sale.

Could these delay a transfer?

Yes. If the buyer considers the proposed warranties or indemnities insufficient—or if the seller is unwilling to accept certain liabilities—the parties may need to negotiate revised terms before the transfer can complete.

However, without seeing the draft contract for the HSE–Louth County Council transfer, it isn't possible to say whether planning warranties, environmental warranties, or some other special condition is the specific reason for the delay.

Louth County Council Louth Heritage