Update issued on ‘transformative’ plans for historic Offaly tourist attraction

An update has been issued on the “transformative” plans for a historic tourist attraction in Offaly.

Offaly Fianna Fáil TD Tony McCormack enquired about the status of the Clonmacnoise Monastic Site at a recent Oireachtas meeting. He was speaking during a discussion on the OPW (Office of Public Works) NDP Sectoral Investment Plan 2026-2030.

Deputy McCormack said: “To get back to local issues, Clonmacnoise is on my doorstep. It is a fantastic amenity and a very important monastic site, not only for the country but for Europe and the world. Will Mr. Conlon give me an outline of the works that are happening there and what will happen in future?”

In response, OPW Head of Heritage Services, Rosemary Collier, issued an update on the works due to take place at the site.

Ms Collier said: “I think Deputy McCormack is very familiar with the project and we have given good information in relation to the visitors' centre.

“It is fantastic that we got the Just Transition funding. We will be going to site shortly and hopefully appointing a main contractor. The tendering process is almost complete.

“We will be on site this year and it will be substantially advanced to claim the Just Transition funding. It will be transformative in terms of the visitor experience and Clonmacnoise.”

Deputy McCormack also asked for an update on the future of the Shannon Callows and the issues being experienced there.

He stated: “I have met the Save Our Shannon group, and I am sure Deputy Clendennen has also met it.

“What is happening with regard to the Shannon Callows and the flooding there? What has the OPW earmarked as a way to solve this issue?”

In response, OPW Head of Planning, Robert Mooney, said the organisation has also met with the Save our Shannon group.

Mr Mooney said: “With respect to the Shannon Callows, we met with representatives of Save Our Shannon group last November and gave them a commitment that we would meet them as part of the subgroup of the Shannon State agency co-ordination group to work through them.

“We had an environmental report done on the pinch points project on the Callow which indicated significant ecological hurdles to overcome and required us to look at all other available options.

“We said we would engage with the Save Our Shannon group and that is due imminently.”

At that point in the meeting, Deputy McCormack came back in to express his delight at that news.

He stated: “That is absolutely fantastic because up to this that group had no engagement from anybody.

“They are farming the land and doing the best they can with the situation and the flooding.

“It is good the OPW is engaging with them and looking at the pinch points because historically they have been looking after the land and are the custodians of the land and they have been doing the best they can with it and their livestock.

“We have seen a lot of cases where they have lost their winter feed because the lands have flooded.”

Deputy McCormack was speaking at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery.

The OPW were asked to address the meeting, following several controversies over its spending of public money in the past year.

Despite the concerns of members, the OPW said it remains committed to improving its standards in achieving value for money.