Requirement of management plan for Tipperkevin, Ballymore Eustace

Tipperkevin is a small settlement in North East Kildare, close to the Wicklow border and at the western side of Slieve Rua, the thrid highest land point in Kildare.

It is strongly believed that St Kevin passed through the area on his way to Glendalough as there was a fresh water spring which is still in situ and still has fresh water flowing  from  it.

At some stage given the availabilty of water and the nature of the area, a church was built here and a graveyard.

The ruins of the church were visible up to the last century and are marked as such on maps and the graveyard is in suitu having been used right up to the end of the 20th century and even more recently.

The settlement as it is today came about as a result of the presence of ground water at the afore mentioned well as wellas further to the east on higher ground were a river rises out of the ground and flows in a north westerly direction eventually reaching the river Liffey. This today is marked on maps as the Morell River.

With the coming of the landlords, the owners of the land at the time disignated land at Tipperkevin  as common land and this allowed the tenants to build their houses on such land rates free. 

This area can be seen on maps marked as the townland of  "Commons" on maps today.

There were two larger commons areas, one extending from the aforementioned well westwards down the hill beyond the church and the graveyard, and theother large area on the higher ground at the eastern limit of the commons where the river flowed.

The two bigger areas were connected by a  narrower strip of commons land probably about 500 ft wide. People built their houses on these common lands nd around the sides of the bigger commons plots already referred to.

People could water their livestock on these commons lands as well as get fresh water for their own use 

In the 20th century many of individual households registered their holdings on the commons.    With the coming of piped water, locals no longer needed to go to the commons for water and they fell into disuse as far as watering and common grazing for animals was concerned. Today part of the lower commons around the well and the Upper Commons through which the river Morell flows  is still open, unmanaged and uncared for and needs a plan to protect it into the future or it will be further lost forever. 

It should be reviewed and managed as a natural resource to facilitate the protection of local flor and fauna inot the future. 

A grass triangle at the junction of the Tipperkevin Road and the Ballymore Eustace/Eadestown Road is being vandalized on an ongoing basis by people driving over it and ripping it up.  What grass that  remains on it is being contuinually cut and mowed without consultation with the community and to the detriment of the local flora and fauna. 

These remaining open areas need to be taken in charge and a suitable management plan to ensure their protection put into action.

One area is the source of the waters of Kevin's well from which the area takes it name, and such waters from which  flow north and west to join rivers that flow into the Liffey, the other is the source of the Morell river whihc ultimately joings the Liffey.

Tipperkevin is an area of significant historical interest. There was a chuch and a graveyard on the lower commons.

The garveyard is still there and no doubt, investigation would reveal the remains of the ancient church which stood beside the graveyard and which is shown on older 19th century maps.

Philip O'Reilly