Malin Well Old Church Conservation Group certainly did not rest on their laurels during the Covid lockdowns. A subgroup of Malin Heritage Group, its members Teresa Mullin, John Grant, Des Doherty and Denis Doherty, are cautiously optimistic conservation work will start on the iconic structure next month. Malin Well Old Church has an extensive folklore from medieval times and has both St Machar (or Maher) from the sixth century and St Muirdhealach from the 11th century as patrons. Local tradition also has it that Saint Morialla was buried under the altar stone. Speaking to Inish Live, John Grant explained the group was waiting on confirmation of a Community Monuments Fund grant to enable the physical conservation work to begin on the site. “The remaining gable end of Malin Well Old Church will be strengthened and linked to the other two walls, the north wall and the south wall. “With the weather to which Malin Well Old Church is constantly subjected, there is constant wear on the structure. Some of the original lime, that would have been holding the stones in place, has actually been washed away. “The idea would be to replenish that and strengthen the stones. Some fallen stones might also have to be replaced, to conserve and strengthen the structure as it stands. It won't be roofed. It will be stabilised and conserved for posterity. “Our objective is for the actual physical work to be carried out between April and October of this year. It will be done by a qualified local conservation builder,” he said. Malin Well Old Church Conservation Group originally applied for a grant through Adopt a Monument Ireland, an initiative of the Heritage Council, project managed by Abarta Heritage. “Adopt a Monument Ireland came on board and helped us to get the required grant for a conservation report,” John said. “We had realised there was deterioration at the Malin Well Old Church and that something had to be done as a matter of urgency. It might also have been a danger to public health. We wanted to
