By Claire Corrigan
Locals gave their views on how Westmeath’s rich heritage could be maintained and enhanced, at a lively briefing on Westmeath’s new Heritage Plan, given by Melanie McQuade, Westmeath Heritage Officer, last Thursday at Mullingar Library.
Ms. McQuade outlined the new 5-year heritage plan (2018 to 2023) and listed some of the definitions of heritage, including monuments and historical buildings, archaeological objects, flora and fauna, and landscapes.
“Heritage is both tangible and intangible, such as the skill of hurling and lace-making. Cultural heritage includes local history, folklore, traditions, place names and genealogy.”
She said the five-year plan will focus on how heritage in the county will be managed and protected on a partnership basis, working with organisations such as National Monument Service, Coillte, Teagasc as well as other smaller committees and historical societies.
She revealed that a 20-member heritage forum had been established, representing different members of society, as well as people who work or have an interest in heritage.
“We are currently undertaking six weeks of public consultation running up to the 20 December. After Christmas, we look at all the submissions we have received and work with the forum to agree the broad objectives and actions and prepare a draft plan.”
Ms. McQuade said that plan will receive funding from the Heritage Council and other sources such as LEADER.
“Once the plan is in place, the heritage forum will meet once a quarter to look at the progress of the plan.”
Ms. McQuade asked those gathered what they believed were the most important issues concerning heritage in Westmeath, and what were the most important actions in the next five years concerning heritage in Westmeath.
Importance of conserving natural heritage
Locals spoke of the importance of the conservation of the county’s natural heritage, such as the lakes and peatlands, as well as restoration of historical buildings, and building an inventory of heritage sites throughout the county. “Even our road verges and laneways, our wildlife and butterflies and birds – there are quite a few endangered species in Westmeath, and children should be aware of the rich environment that they still have and under serious threat, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service is doing a fantastic job,” Eugene Dunbar commented.
Norman Black, a former senior tourism officer with East Coast and Midlands Tourism, said that it was important that heritage sites were properly marked with signage, detailing information on places of interest. “There are hundreds of sites people don’t know anything about, for instance, the Army Barracks. It would enhance people’s visits to have some basic facts, and it has never been really addressed in any shape or form. The Market Square should have a bit of history about the town. It would transform the county without costing a fortune and this forum could drive this forward.”
Theresa Geoghegan, Community Development Officer with Westmeath Community Development, added that trails in the county needed to promoted more efficiently, and historical buildings such as the Railway House in Moate should be rejuvenated. “There are some community groups along the Streamstown and Moate area that are interested in developing the railway buildings into some kind of tourist attraction. There are great stories behind them, such as the Great Train Robbery being filmed there.”
Ms. McQuade agreed there was a need for more signage, and it was something the Council was currently working on. “There are moves to get signage up at the railway. We want a consistent signage across the country.”
Mr. Dunbar made the point that in order to develop an effective heritage plan, it was important to include bordering counties. “Sometimes we become obsessed with our own county. I think the greatest modern success story is the Wild Atlantic Way, and the secret to the success of that was that people forgot about boundaries and they have the same kind of signage all the way down. The Esker, for example, doesn’t just stop at Rathhugh.”
Hugh O’Neill said that the Heritage Plan greatly linked in with the Westmeath Planning and Development Act, and the plan should be as closely aligned with the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as possible.
“That gives it a route through to influence the policy to make sure that all considerations are directly inputted to the spacial policy of the county.”
