This article is from page 19 of the 2011-07-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
ENNIS is bidding to be the new home for a 2, 500sqm pavilion that drew thousands of visitors to one of the world’s largest cultural exhibitions.
Expo Ireland’s Ireland Pavilion – a major multimedia exploration of Irish history and culture – was one of the biggest draws at Expo Park in the Chinese city of Shanghai last year.
Now members of the Ennis Development Forum are pushing for the exhibition to be re-homed in the Clare county capital. The forum met with Minister for State Brain Hayes during his visit to Ennis last week.
They outlined their proposal to the Minister at a meeting in the Temple Gate Hotel. The bid, if successful, would see the Ireland Pavilion re-located to a two-acre site adjoining the 13th century Ennis Friary.
Forum member and Ennis town councillor Johnny Flynn said the pavilion could generate a huge tourism benefit for Ennis and Clare.
He added, “The Ireland Pavilion was commissioned by the Office of Public Work (OPW) and it was one of the most successful at the Expo exhibition. Ennis would be very happy to be the new home of the pavilion.”
Cllr Flynn said Minister Hayes, who has responsibility for the OPW, seemed “quite interested” in the proposal. He said that he intends to seek support from fellow councillors when he raises the matter at the September meeting of Ennis Town Council. He added, “It could be a big opportunity for Ennis as a venue for heritage and archaeological tourism.”
The forum is also calling for the two-acre site near the Friary to be opened up as a car park for coach tours. According to Cllr Flynn an estimated “120 coaches are passing Ennis a day” on the way to tourist attractions like the Cliffs of Moher.
He explained that tourists can often spend four to five hours in towns like Ennis, spending on average € 20 to € 50 per person. He added, “If we could even get 20 or 30 of the 120 (buses) you’re talking about € 50,000 a day being spent in the town.”
The call for more bus parking in Ennis forms part of a wider appeal for the renovated Ennis Friary to be opened up for more public and community use.
Ennis Development Forum believes the Friary could be the centre of a new tourism hub in Clare.
A roof has been installed over the 18th century church in order to provide protection for the collection of carved features, which survive at Ennis Friary.
However in June, the OPW ruled out the possibility of opening the Friary for greater public use. In a letter to Ennis Town Council, Marie O’Gallagher, of the OPW’s National Monument’s section, explained that “it is not envisaged that this space will be available for wider public use or community-based events. It is anticipated that the site will re-open to visitors in 2012.”
Work on the € 100,000 renovation project, which will include a wire mesh to provide security for the display area and deter birds and wildlife, is due to be completed by the end of the year.