Donal Hickey: Get life back into derelict Ireland — for locals and visitors
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Some friends who have just holidayed in Ireland were taken aback at the derelict state of many towns they saw: shops closed, buildings derelict and a glaring sense of decline overall.
A reminder, indeed, of the late John Healy’s book, , about his native Charlestown, County Mayo, published more than a half-century ago. The ‘death’ of such places is still being talked about and matters have got much worse for many towns since Healy’s time.
However, there are commendable efforts to bring new life into these towns, often through restoring much of their natural and historic features.
We have plenty examples of well-presented towns. Think of Clonakilty, County Cork, Kenmare, County Kerry, and Westport, County Mayo — all tourist magnets which are protecting their past and resisting the temptation to become tacky.
But, the people that must be thought of first are those who live permanently in our towns. Also, why not attract more people to live in towns which have plenty of space ‘over the shop’, so to speak, for development as accommodation. Opportunities to work from home, and enjoy the benefits of rural living, should help lure such people.
Rural villages could also be included. There are some villages that we know of along the Cork/Kerry border which no longer have shops, or petrol pumps, for instance. Yet, they have plenty of buildings that could be made habitable as a means of boosting the population, which would support commerce, schools and sports clubs.
As someone who grew up in a village, I remember it as a lively place with plenty of small shops and craftspeople such as carpenters, tailors, shoemakers and a blacksmith. With changing times, however, all that activity gradually vanished.
Many villages are now eerily quiet places in daytime, waiting for the inhabitants to return in the evenings from their workplaces in nearby towns.
The Heritage Council has a scheme under which 13 historic towns will benefit from heritage-led regeneration, including Macroom, County Cork, and Listowel, County Kerry.
With a castle and market square at its heart, Macroom breathes history. The spending of €216,000 will help save a former Church of Ireland place of worship, St Colman’s, from further deterioration and develop it for community use.
And, hopefully, traffic-clogged Macroom has a promising future following the opening of the bypass, soon.
In Listowel, the ornamental plasterwork of Pat McAuliffe, who died in 1921, still adorns the facades of buildings, with the bare-breasted Maid of Erin, overlooking Main Street, a commanding presence.
Listowel is also blessed with a fine town square and funding of €151,000 will support the continuing conservation of historic buildings in the square and adjoining streets.