6 May 1999 Edition
Sinn Féin initiates major tourism project
A major tourism project which could provide a new boost to the local economy in County Monaghan has been launched in Ballybay. The bold proposal is for the restoration of the old tannery in Ballybay as an industrial tourism project which would aim to create a working model of the tannery with a visitors' centre attracting tourists from far and wide. An agri-machinery exhibition is also included in the proposal.
The project was launched by Cavan/Monaghan Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín O Caoláin, who said it would provide a badly needed indoor tourist attraction for the County. The TD, in conjunction with Sinn Féin Town Commissioner in Ballybay, Gene Duffy, hit on the idea after a visit to the old tannery building just outside the town on the Carrickmacross Road. In the scene of dereliction the seed of this concept was planted and it was quickly realised that such a project would be of significant benefit not only to the town of Ballybay but to the whole of County Monaghan, adding a very special element to the tourism network of the border counties.
The tannery at Ballybay was once an important employer in the town, as indeed were hundreds of such small tanneries throughout the country at one time. It has lain dormant for many years, its potential, until now, unrealised.
The site consists of a large derelict factory with much of the original leather-tanning machinery still in place. The spacious main building and outhouses, though in need of extensive repair and renovation, could provide a sound basis for a working model tannery and visitors' centre. Exhibition space, craft shops, small retail outlets and other services also form part of the concept. The proposed Ballybay tourism project could accommodate a significant agri-machinery exhibition as another attraction.
There is a growing interest in Irish industrial history and this area of tourism and education has been developed in the Six Counties but as yet no such facility exists in County Monaghan, nor indeed to any great extent south of the border. Caoimhghín O Caoláin commissioned consultants to prepare a concept paper on his idea. The report has now been published and is presented by the TD to the community in Ballybay as a contribution to their work for the development of the town and as a potential major project with benefits in employment and other economic spin-offs for the whole of County Monaghan.
The project was launched by Cavan/Monaghan Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín O Caoláin, who said it would provide a badly needed indoor tourist attraction for the County. The TD, in conjunction with Sinn Féin Town Commissioner in Ballybay, Gene Duffy, hit on the idea after a visit to the old tannery building just outside the town on the Carrickmacross Road. In the scene of dereliction the seed of this concept was planted and it was quickly realised that such a project would be of significant benefit not only to the town of Ballybay but to the whole of County Monaghan, adding a very special element to the tourism network of the border counties.
The tannery at Ballybay was once an important employer in the town, as indeed were hundreds of such small tanneries throughout the country at one time. It has lain dormant for many years, its potential, until now, unrealised.
The site consists of a large derelict factory with much of the original leather-tanning machinery still in place. The spacious main building and outhouses, though in need of extensive repair and renovation, could provide a sound basis for a working model tannery and visitors' centre. Exhibition space, craft shops, small retail outlets and other services also form part of the concept. The proposed Ballybay tourism project could accommodate a significant agri-machinery exhibition as another attraction.
There is a growing interest in Irish industrial history and this area of tourism and education has been developed in the Six Counties but as yet no such facility exists in County Monaghan, nor indeed to any great extent south of the border. Caoimhghín O Caoláin commissioned consultants to prepare a concept paper on his idea. The report has now been published and is presented by the TD to the community in Ballybay as a contribution to their work for the development of the town and as a potential major project with benefits in employment and other economic spin-offs for the whole of County Monaghan.