Clondalkin group’s delight at Heritage works

By Maurice Garvey

MEMBERS of the Clondalkin Round Tower Heritage Group were “delighted” to inspect development works at the new Round Tower Visitor Centre last week.

The group were shown around the site by South Dublin County Architect, Eddie Conroy and Ciarán McCormack of GEM Construction Ltd – the Longford firm who secured the €2.3 million contract from the local authority for the project.

Thyes Kavanagh, Tommy Keogh, Josephine Byrne and Bernardine Nic Giolla Phádraig evaluated the development, which forms part of a key strategy objective for South Dublin tourism, and includes the refurbishment of the 19th century Mill Cottages at Millview Terrace and on Tower Road.

Josephine Byrne of Clondalkin History Society was pleased to discover that most of the original timbers from the Mill Cottages have been saved, and that the original windows have been completely refurbished and are ready to be reinstalled next week.

Bernardine Nic Giolla Phádraig, Co-ordinator, Clondalkin Round Tower Heritage Group, said the group were assured that the stone wall on Tower Road will be fully restored once building work is completed.

Bernadine said: “GEM previously won a European award for their renovation of St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford. We are delighted this exciting development is in the hands of such a reputable company.

“The tender for the design of the interior of the interpretative centre has been awarded to Tandem Design, who created the interactive visitor experiences in King John’s Castle, Limerick and in Titanic Belfast.”

Tommy Keogh took photographs as part of a visual archive of the site, which is scheduled to be completed in March 2017.

The project support the council’s vision to combine the Round Tower centre, Corkagh Park and the Grand Canal Greenway as a package of significant tourism potential.