“STEADY PROGRESS” has been made on the Inis Cealtra project with plans on foot to open the Old Rectory building in Mountshannon as a visitor centre by the third quarter of next year.
In October, Clare County Council purchased the Old Rectory building for an undisclosed sum which is seen as a step forward in creating a strong tourism product at Holy Island/Inis Cealtra.
Tourism officer with the local authority, Joan Tarmey outlined that “steady progress” has been made on the Inis Cealtra project “to repurpose and refurbish the Old Rectory site in Mountshannon into a new visitor centre”.
Works aimed at guiding the detailed design stage which are to be completed by the end of this month include an asbestos survey and site investigations, once concluded they will enable statutory approvals.
Ms Tarmey said that efforts on concept interpretation and branding “is also continuing apace”. She expected detailed design to be finished by the third quarter of this year with a tender procurement process to follow which is to result in the appointment of a contractor by the end of 2022. “Construction on site will then commence with a view to being in a position to have the building operation by Q2/Q3 2023”.
Locals had been curious regarding the progress since the purchase of the Old Rectory, Cllr Pat Burke (FG) observed. “It’s a bit far away but things don’t happen overnight, this is sensitive work,” he said while praising the initial progress.
Having a tourism plan centred around the project is very important, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) commented. “There isn’t anyone here that has the answers on a RRDF application or if the funding is already in place to proceed. It might be worth having a discussion with Joan and team to update us on where we are,” he maintained.
On the ongoing efforts, Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) remarked, “This is fantastic news for tourism going forward in East Clare, we all know it will happen over time”.
