This article is from page 32 of the 2008-05-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
HASTING’S Cottage in Shannon should be considered if a cremato- rium is built in the town according to a local heritage group.
Duchas na Sionna has made a number of recommendations relating to the Hasting’s site.
A planning application to build a crematorium, covered walkways and remembrance garden in Tullyvarraga is pending.
In a letter circulated to members of
Shannon Town Council last week, Duchas na Sionna said it wished to point out that the remains of Hast- ing’s Cottage would be sandwiched between the new structures and the present graveyard at [llaunamanagh, should the plans get the green light.
‘“Hasting’s Cottage is a vital part of the heritage of Shannon town. It is shown on the 1840 ordnance survey map of the area and may indeed have been built considerably before that date,” stated the letter.
“The cottage was the setting in
a drama that unfolded during the War of Independence when a Brit- ish Army General was held captive there,’ added the letter.
“Given the location of the cottage in the immediate vicinity of the pro- posed development, we feel it is of the utmost importance that a bound- ary be erected before the commence- ment of building works to prevent any accidental damage to the cottage and garden boundaries during the course of construction. A fine set of concrete gate piers would be particu-
larly vulnerable as they are located very close to the edge of the site,” it added.
The letter stated that Duchas na Sionna feels that the remains at the cottage site present an “invaluable Opportunity to the people of Shan- non to learn about the history of their locality and hopes at some stage in the future to carry out a detailed survey and supervised excavation of the site of Hasting’s Cottage as part of a community heritage project,’ it added.