Clonard Monastery The grounds of Clonard Monastery in Belfast are about to undergo an “aesthetically pleasing” transformation, as the decades-old barbed wire on top of the exterior walls are to be replaced with a pallet-style fence.
The barbed wire, which was added to the walls during the Troubles in order to protect the Redemptorist community who live in Clonard, is “not appropriate in this day and age”, according to the rector, Fr Noel Kehoe. “Of course, there is [a] security issue. We have 18 elderly men living here, all of us secure our home…There are better ways of doing it than barbed wire,” he said.
The new fence will be one metre higher than the original wall to ensure safety, and the bell tower will also be strengthened.