*Fionn Kidney, Jacqueline McCoy, Cllr Joe Garrihy, Shelley McNamara, Kevin Loftus.
RECLAIMING THE HERITAGE of Lisdoonvara as a flagship Irish wellbeing town is an aspiration of the ‘Reimagine Lisdoonvarna’ project.
Lisdoonvarna native and Pritzker Prize-winning architect architect Shelley McNamara and local social enterprise Common Knowledge are amongst the team working with local community organisation Lisdoonvarna Fáilte to map out a sustainable, inclusive vision map with the town rooted in wellbeing.
As one of Ireland’s original spa towns, Lisdoonvarna has a deep heritage in wellbeing. For over 200 years the health-giving qualities of the water flowing beneath Lisdoonvarna has attracted people to the area, with the accompanying social life making the town one of Ireland’s premier destinations for many years.
Now, following the challenges presented by the global pandemic and evolution of the town as a home for many new communities, the wider Lisdoonvarna community will have the opportunity to collectively set intentions for the future by mapping a vision for the town together with the ‘Reimagine Lisdoonvarna’ team.
Each participant in the process will receive a print of the co-created map later this year representing the ideas created through the process. The first of a series of public events, ‘Tapping the Well’ will take place will be on Wednesday next (June 28th) at 7.30pm with all invited. Lisdoonvarna Fáilte will host an evening to reflect on the town’s development to date, along with exploring possible pathways for the future that can realign the town more closely with its wellbeing heritage.
Shelley McNamara will introduce the event and this will be followed by a presentation charting the development of Lisdoonvarna by ACT Studio, and a workshop co-facilitated with ACT Studio by local social enterprise Common Knowledge, co-founded by Harrison Gardner, presenter of the RTÉ television series ‘Build Your Own Home’.
Speaking about the project, team member and architect Shelley said, “I am delighted to collaborate with this diverse team of creative people who have the skills to support and enable sustainable living communities, and to create a viable vision for the future of the Spa Town of Lisdoonvarna”.
Linda Earlie, Town Regeneration Officer, Clare County Council commented “a key component of the Town Centre First policy is that local communities, residents and business have the opportunity to reimagine and shape the future of their town and villages. Community engagement is critical in this process, bringing community groups and stakeholders together to make their area a better place to live, work and visit. The Reimagine Lisdoonvarna project, builds on the recent heritage plan completed by Clare County Council, and offers the community of Lisdoonvarna the scope to set a clear vision for the long term development of their town”.
Hometown Architect is funded by the Irish Architecture Foundation as part of the Reimagine programme. Through fieldwork projects, Reimagine supports communities across Ireland to partner with architects to co-create and co-design solutions to problems or opportunities they have identified in their locality.
Working with Lisdoonvarna Fáilte for this and a subsequent event, the ‘Reimagine Lisdoonvarna’ project will produce a vision map for the town that will help to bring forth wellbeing-focused ideas for the future formed during these events.
