Tourism and community representatives are being invited to a presentation in Mountshannon Community Hall on Thursday (6 July) at 7.30 p.m. in relation to the finalised Visitor Management and Sustainable Tourism Development Plan for Holy Island (Inis Cealtra) on Lough Derg.
Clare County Council will facilitate the concluding presentation which will feature a presentation by Brian O’Brien of Solearth Architecture on the key actions contained in the strategy and the impact of the public consultation process on the final Plan.
In June 2015, Clare County Council acquired 41 acres on Holy Island which, together with the 2 acres already in the ownership of the Office of Public Works (OPW), resulted in the entire island being brought into public ownership for the first time. Dublin-based Solearth Architecture was subsequently engaged by the Local Authority to prepare proposals in relation to improving access to the island and the provision of tourism facilities on or near the island, as well as proposals on the marketing and promoting of the Island as a visitor destination, while confirming its historical significance and protecting its built and natural heritage
Dating back to the 7th century, the island is one of the most important historical and ecclesiastical sites in Ireland, and it has important links to Brian Ború. Buildings on the island include a 24-metre high Round Tower, an Oratory, and a number of churches. Holy Island is on the UNESCO world heritage site tentative list for Ireland as an early medieval monastic site along with Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Glendalough, Kells and Monasterboice.
The preparation of the Plan has incorporated consultation with key stakeholders including the Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, Waterways Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, and local tourism, community and angling organisations. Clare County Council has also engaged with the OPW as joint landowners and the body responsible for the historic monuments on Holy Island during the Plan preparation process. The presentation of the final plan on 6 July concludes a two-year public consultation process involving four workshops, over 200 attendees and the receipt and consideration of formal submissions to the plan in April.
For further information on the upcoming public consultation, please contact the Solearth Architecture office on (01) 4005790.