Though a “blow-in,” I have strong ties to the Southeast, having lived on Templar land at Hook Peninsula—granted to the Order by Henry II, husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of Richard the Lionheart. As a Templar historian, shaped by my maternal lineage from lands once defended by the knights during the Reconquista and along the Camino de Santiago, I carry both a scholar’s passion and a pilgrim’s reverence.

When I first walked among the stones of Kilbarry cemetery—part of a sacred landscape since the Bronze Age and once a Templar preceptory—I was struck by a grief I hadn’t expected. So many knights had lived, served, and died here; some buried after their arrest and interrogation following the fall of the Order in 1307. I couldn’t leave them in silence.

That’s why the labour of love of the volunteers of Kilbarry Knights Templar Project Group moved me so deeply—it’s more than preservation; it’s remembrance.

“The land is not merely soil, it is the foundation of the collective unconscious.” - Carl Jung

In reaching out and joining the Kilbarry Knights Templar Project Group at the end of 2024 ahead of my MA research, I sought not just to restore the site, but to give something back to the dead: a garden of the plants they once knew, the herbs that comforted body and soul, inspired by my “Healing Arts of the Cistercians and Knights Templar” masterclass. Drawing on what still grows at the Maryculter Preceptory in Scotland (view my 2023 Scotland research video), I provided the group with a selection I curated of core medieval Templar and Cistercian plants and flowers with memory, meaning, and healing in mind—not merely for historical accuracy, but to rekindle a living spirit in their resting place.

Working with archetypal psychology, ancient energies of sacred geography, and not just history, for me Kilbarry is not just a location—it holds ancestral memory and archetypal weight:

“Memory attaches itself to sites, whereas history attaches itself to events.” - Pierre Nora

Kilbarry is not simply a chapter in the history of the Templars—it is a vessel of memory. The land remembers what the records may forget. In planting what once grew in their cloisters and preceptories, I hope to awaken that deeper memory that clings to place: not only to honour those buried there, but to restore a sense of presence—of soul—rooted in the soil they once walked, fought, prayed, and died upon.

Helena B. Scott

The above proposal of curated plants and flowers was my gift to the Knights Templar at the end of 2024, honouring my promise to them and renewed every year on the anniversary of the tragic events of Friday the 13th, 1307.

It is not up to us to forgive those who committed the terrible atrocities against the Knights Templar following their arrest in France over 800 years ago (and previously to the Cathars). Still, even if we could find forgiveness for one of history's worst injustices, we shall never forget.

Veritas vos liberabit.

Photos above of Our Lady of Thomastown (Co. Kilkenny) and Kilbarry Templar Preceptory and Cemetery (Waterford City, Co. Waterford) in Ireland, with volunteers Maggie and Paddy from the Knights Templar Project Group, and St. John’s Wort (part of medieval monastic herbal medicine traditions, especially in Benedictine, Cistercian and Templar orders); all by Philip Devereux for Helena B. Scott.

Research question: How can public history practices be employed to interpret, preserve, and engage communities with the Knights Templar heritage in Ireland’s South East?

My research aims to contribute to the understanding of medieval heritage in the context of the Knights Templar, whose presence in Ireland and contributions to society have been underrepresented. It promotes community engagement and sustainable tourism in areas where the Knights Templar had a significant presence.

Why is this research important? How is it relevant?  Why should the public want to be engaged? 

The Knights Templar were a model of an inclusive and tolerant group, one suitable to learn about and to revitalise in today's multicultural world whose legacy, wisdom and values could inspire future generations and help to make the world a better place.

Want to learn more?

Support my work in Patreon with a paid membership and join tomorrow’s Patreon Templar talk (for paid members only) to learn more about my internship at Waterford Medieval Museum and view a sneak preview of my Upcoming Dissertation on the Knights Templar for my MA in Public History and Cultural Heritage. View online event post here - sign up and subscribe to attend!

Don't have a membership? Subscribe today as a paid Patreon to access incredible perks and other talks/live events as well as downloads. Various membership levels with a 7 day free trial, don't miss out!

Want to contribute to this research project?

Time is ticking! I will be working on my MA dissertation this summer and I would love to hear from anyone with knowledge, stories, documents, or personal connections to these historic sites and the madonna statue above, who would like to be interviewed, share historical materials, or participate in discussions (participants can choose to be named and credited for their contributions or provide them anonymously). Drop me an email at 24123943@studentmail.ul.ie or reach me through my contact form here.

Many thanks! Helena