This article is from page 10 of the 2013-01-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
PROMOTING Scattery Island as a heritage and tourist attraction, while informing people of its rich and varied history, is the main aim of the newly formed Scattery Island Tourist Group.
The dedicated group is rooted in a VEC course and grew to include local business people and the farming community, as well as receiving support from the Head of the History Department at the University of Limerick, Dr Bernadette Whelan.
Rita McCarthy of the Scattery Island Tourist Group said the organisation has four main objectives.
Firstly, the group want to make the island’s terrain more accessible. Local farmer and member of the group, Thomas Burke explained that the island has become overgrown in parts and work is especially needed around the Battery. He said the group are proposing to build a path or roadway all the way to the Battery that would pass through the vacated village, and open up these areas for tourists.
The historical and tourism group has already begun talks with the OPW, the state body responsible for the island and have outlined their hopes for the historical site.
Improving access on to the island has also become a priority for the group. Making the history and heritage of Scattery Island available to everyone is something it is also working on. The members are preparing a written history of the island going back long before St Senan and up to the present day.
The final aim for the group is to promote the island locally, nationally and internationally and to encourage people to visit this unique and unspoilt part of West Clare.
Ms McCarthy explained that the island will be of great interest to those with an interest in various histories, including early Christian history, military history and maritime history. The island will also play a central role for The Gathering, as the group believe this is an ideal opportunity to bring the eyes of the Diaspora firmly onto the historical attraction.
Group member Nicki Power has dtarted work on a database of ancestors of those who once called Scattery Island home, so they can be invited to a special Gathering weekend. From July 12 to 14, ex-pats, locals and visitors will be welcomed to the island. A reenactment and a photography exhibition are being organised to showcase memories from the past. Visitors will also be able to take part in a historical tour of the island and watch the currach races from the island to the mainland.
Dr Whelan, who is working with the group to develop the island’s history, described Scattery as “a microcosm of Irish history”.
“You have a very valuable asset that has not been desecrated or interrupted,” she said.