Two Tipperary Councillors Express Frustrations At Lack Of Progress Delivering Cashel Interpretive & Visitor Centre

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Cllr Declan Burgess and Cllr Roger Kennedy both expressed frustration today during the January MD Meeting at a lack of progress on a project aimed at delivering an Interpretive and Visitor centre for Cashel.

The project is described as a “potential game changer” in terms of economic development by Councillor Declan Burgess as he sought an update on the project. It is understood that Tipperary County Council in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Office of Public Works have identified a premises in that town that might be modified to deliver the new facility with the aim of increasing footfall to the retail and hospitality centre of the town especially from visitors to the Rock of Cashel. Data from the Office of Public Works reveals that the Rock of Cashel had 357,273 people paying to visit the site in 2023.

The centre would also deepen and improve the visitor experience to Cashel as the building is also intended to host the Bolton Library Collection, left to the people of Cashel by Archbishop Theophilus Bolton who died in 1744. The collection is now accommodated in the Glucksman Library at the University of Limerick as the Bolton Library Building in Cashel was not an adequate place to ensure the collection of some 12,000 items, including books, manuscripts, maps, and prints would not be damaged.  More than 50 items in the Bolton library are not on record anywhere else in the world and a further 800 are unique in Ireland.

Cllr Burgess says there has been no real progress reported to Councillors since 2020 and now wants the local Councillors to be given a detailed update before the end of March  as regards the challenges in delivering the project.