Heritage sites will undergo works to make them available for public use

Two known heritage sites in Clondalkin will undergo new works to make them available for public use.

Fairview Oil Mills and St Cuthbert’s Church will undergo construction to be accessed by the public in the future.

Works commenced at the Oil Mills located in Corkagh Park this month, while preservation works at St Cuthbert’s Church within St Cuthbert’s Park are set to begin in November.

Councillor Francis Timmons welcomed the news after years of campaigning for the heritage sites to come back into public use.

Cllr Timmons stated: “The oil mill is an important reminder of the Industrial Revolution, and the church is of [as much] historic importance as the Round Tower.”

The Fairview Oil Mills is a site dating back to the early 19th century and is included on the National Inventory of Archaeological Heritage.

St Cuthbert’s Church is located a mile outside of Clondalkin Village in the townland of Kilmahuddrick.

The church and its moat and graveyard are around 1000 years old but they currently lie in disrepair.

Cllr Timmons noted that the “rich history” that both sites represent is important to uphold as Clondalkin continues to march further forward in time.

“I feel we need to preserve Clondalkin’s rich history while repurposing the sites as modern-day amenities.

“SDCC must ensure the protection of sites of importance is upmost in any future plans. Both sites offer huge potential and opportunity to learn and reconnect with our past and provide learning and recreational public amenities for the future.”

An Architectural Conservation Engineer has been appointed to work on the Oil Mills and has undertaken several surveys, from an initial inspection report to a photogrammetry survey.

A specialist contractor is set to be appointed before the end of the year to commence preservation works before the end of the year.

The works set to be undertaken at St Cuthbert’s Church include the clearing of vegetation and site stabilisation to allow for archaeological and structural assessments of the plot.

The council aim to allow key views of the church to open, while preserving the current landscape of the church and moat.

The Clondalkin Vision Alliance, chaired by Cllr Timmons, set out multiple proposals for both buildings, one of which includes an artist-in-residence at Fairview Oil Mills.

However, it remains to be seen what will be done for the heritage sites beyond the opening of them to the public.

Cllr Timmons noted: “We hope we can protect our history and heritage while offering additional amenity spaces to the public.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.