Thirteenth century coffin lid effigies of the Hackett family taken in the eighteenth century from St Dominick's Abbey and set into the town walls of Cashel, at the Church of Ireland in John Street
Cashel's Chamber of Commerce has a busy year lined up, with celebrations planned throughout 2019 for parts of the old Town Wall.
Chamber president Martin Lynch said they are looking forward to a series of events throughout the year to commemorate parts of the wall, and several major works are underway connecting various sections of the town.
Mr Lynch welcomed this year's pick up in trade for the Christmas season, a vital time of the year for some small businesses.
“There seems to have been a pick up. Just talking socially, they are quite happy with trade this year. There has been an increase in footfall in the shops compared to previous years.”
Mr Lynch said the celebrations to commemorate 700 years of the Town Wall are well underway, and a programme of works will be put out in the coming weeks.
“There's about five to ten different events planned for between now and the end of the year. And they will be staged at different times.”
These include talks and seminars on different parts of the wall, and arts groups will be involved as part of the Cashel Arts Festival later in the year.
It's understood there is only a small bit of work left to connect the back of Cashel's Courthouse in Hogan Square up to the Rock of Cashel via the Cashel Palace, and works may be finished in time for St Patrick's Day.
Meanwhile, Cashel's local businesses and the Co. Council have spent some €10,000 on upgrading and restoring the Christmas lights, representing a significant investment for the coming years.
“There was a great buzz around this Christmas,” said Mr Lynch.
“All the restaurants and shops, pubs, were all full at all stages over the Christmas period.”
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.