*Elected representatives and staff of Clare County Council in Bunratty Folk Park. Photograph: Eamon Ward
AN AGREEMENT was reached between Clare County Council and the Shannon Airport Group on the handover of the four Shannon Heritage assets in the county to the local authority but not without a final battle.
A strong cohort of elected members and officials from the Council were in Bunratty Castle and Folk Park on Monday morning along with senior management from the Shannon Airport Group for the official contract signing to transfer the four heritage sites to the Council under the umbrella of the existing Shannon Heritage DAC which also sees 90 permanent staff join the local authority.
Last month, Clare councillors unanimously agreed to accept an offer from Government to obtain €6m in funding to facilitate the transfer of Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Knappogue Castle & Medieval Banquets, Crauggownen Bronze Age Park and a retail outlet at the Cliffs of Moher. The funding will allow for remediation works at the sites.
Following the completion of a due diligence report spanning over 600 pages, the Council had sought funding to the tune of €15m, a figure which was disputed by Shannon Airport Group.
Signing of the contract on Monday was delayed for over two hours as senior officials from both the Council and Shannon Airport Group clashed on one particular item. That being, the 129.42 hectares of land within the environs of the Folk Park which Shannon Airport Group are to hold onto despite the transfer.
The Clare Echo understands that following the negotiations, it was agreed that the Council will be offered first refusal of the site at an agricultural price in the event that Shannon Airport Group attempt to sale it. The Shannon Airport Group did not respond to queries from The Clare Echo on this subject.
When questioned by The Clare Echo on the matter, Council Chief Executive, Pat Dowling stated that details from the discussion on the landbank had not been finalised. “There is also property contracts surrounding that as well and other matters that legally need to be ironed out over the coming days, suffice to say that we’re keen to grow and expand into the future”.
Dowling commented, “There are a number of factors here, there are the sites, our own plan to make sure that we can grow and develop into the future, when you’re doing that you’re looking at current situation as it is today but also looking to the future of what you need to do to grow and develop because we’re very interested to make sure that while it is a wonderful product, it is iconic and has a very strong international reputation, you have to constantly reinvent and reinvigorate what is there to keep the interest of the international tourists and the domestic tourists, we have to bear that in mind”.
During Monday’s Council meeting, he apologised to elected representatives for the delay at the contract signing, “that was not foreseen in advance, there was some final matters that had to be dealt with”. A shared purchase agreement and property management deal have been agreed but legal matters need to be worked through, he advised. “The signing of the shared purchase agreement “was an important stage and we’re now on the journey, a new chapter particularly for tourism in the county, we will make the facilities better and a success, that is the task for us as an organisation going forward”.
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) described the handover as “a very historic day for Clare”. He said it was a “milestone moment for Clare tourism as, for the first time, Clare’s most popular tourist attractions will all be managed by one single authority”.
In a statement, Conal Henry, Chairperson of the Shannon Airport Group gave his best wishes to Shannon Heritage staff while CEO, Mary Considine coined it “the start of a new era in the rich history of Shannon Heritage as Clare County Council now officially become the custodians of these nationally important sites”.
Director of Tourism Development with the Council, Leonard Cleary said they look forward to engaging with the OPW, Fáilte Ireland and other State agencies “to ensure the potential of each of these assets is maximised for the betterment of tourism in County Clare and the wider Mid-West Region.”
Visitor attractions and sites already in the Council’s tourism portfolio include the Cliffs of Moher Experience, Loop Head Lighthouse, Vandeleur Walled Gardens, and the Inis Cealtra Visitor Experience.
