Welcome to Corduff Raferagh Heritage Articles.
During Covid, when visiting and moving about was restricted, the Heritage Group started compiling articles to publish in the local newspaper the Northern Standard as a little light entertainment during those dark and worrying days. The articles were intended to bring back memories and pass a little bit of time for those who were truly isolated, and also for those who do not use social media or have access to the internet. Over time the articles which initially started as townland by townland research, grew in popularity and when covid eventually more or less disappeared the articles continued.
Sadly in December 2025 the Northern Standard Newspaper, the only Monaghan Newspaper at that time, ceased printing, after almost 190 years (first edition printed on 10th Jan 1839). With the closure of the newspaper, thus ended 5 years of Corduff Raferagh Heritage articles. Within a few weeks the County Cavan newspaper, the Anglo Celt, picked up the baton, to cover the news from its neighbouring county. The Christmas edition of the Anglo Celt had 77 pages, within a few months that page count had increased to 111 pages, showing the additional pages needed to cover news from both counties. The Anglo Celt has provided space for local community news, but is restricted in the amount of information submitted on a weekly basis due to the demand for space, and that is very understandable, so although Corduff Raferagh news is submitted weekly, the heritage articles are not.
To fill this void as much as we can, being cognisant that a lot of people still do not have social media or internet access, this section of the Community Centre website has been offered to at least cover those who do have internet access, but who do not have social media access. The Corduff Raferagh Heritage group Facebook page has been in operation since 2005, and will continue to be updated, but of course that is only of use if you are on Facebook.
Over time we will post new and some old articles in this space for those interested in the heritage of the Corduff Raferagh area, so it will be a place to dip in and out of to find out more about our Heritage.
Our group is also delighted to add our graveyard research to this website. For the past 20 years, when the first photographs of the headstones in the local graveyards were taken, in order to database the names and townlands of the deceased, we have been working away in the background adding additional information to our archive. The four local graveyards include –
- Carrickmaclim Presbyterian Graveyard https://corduffraferagh.ie/graveyard-listing/wpbdp_category/carrickmaclim-graveyard/
- St. John’s Catholic Graveyard, Corcreagh (Raferagh) https://corduffraferagh.ie/graveyard-listing/wpbdp_category/raferagh-graveyard/
- St. Michael’s Catholic Graveyard, Corduff https://corduffraferagh.ie/graveyard-listing/wpbdp_category/corduff-graveyard/
- St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland Graveyard, Ardragh https://corduffraferagh.ie/graveyard-listing/wpbdp_category/ardragh-graveyard/
- Basic Maps for each of the Graveyards showing the areas in the Graveyards can be found at https://corduffraferagh.ie/graveyards-layout/
In the not to distant future the group hopes to publish a book with the headstone details, also including the location of where the families lived, maiden names of the ladies listed and where they came from and any other details gathered over the years, including information on families who are buried in one of the graveyards, but whose grave is unmarked.
So as we take our first leap onto the Worldwide Web, with a dedicated spot, we welcome new and not so new followers to the Corduff Raferagh website.
If you have any information you can add to any of our articles, please email corduffraferaghheritage@gmail.com
