Castlebar road to reopen following gas explosion

A road in Castlebar that was closed following a gas explosion at a restaurant in the town is set to reopen.

The county town has experienced severe traffic congestion since an explosion at the Tulsi explosion restaurant forced the closure of Lower Charles Street.

The incident, which remains under investigation by the gardaí, occurred on January 26 and left two people hospitalised. The road is expected to reopen to traffic this Wednesday more than two weeks after the explosion, which caused considerable damage to the building.

The building had works and surveys carried out on it by state bodies due to concerns over its safety.

Mayo County Council had sought to keep one lane of traffic open during repair works. However, due to concerns that the front facade of the building may fall down, the road remained fully closed.

Cllr Donna Sheridan, who lives and works in the area, said the closure of the road had caused ‘absolute disruption’ in the town.

“Nobody wants to see a street closed for that length of time it’s absolute disruption in the town, I’ve never seen traffic like it over the weekend. It has been really really difficult,” she said.

Speaking on Midwest Radio yesterday (Monday), the Fine Gael councillor said the road would be opened sometime on Wednesday following repair works. Work to a roundabout at Barrack Bridge is also due to take place tomorrow (Tuesday) while the road is closed.

“It’s an absolutely terrible situation for businesses around it, for the business itself, all the road users in Castlebar, it’s really difficult,” said Cllr Sheridan.

“I work on that street myself and you never realise how much traffic goes by in a day and how two small streets can cause such a disruption in the town and such traffic buildup. It has been a very difficult few weeks for all our council, particularly our outdoor staff.”

The building at the centre of the ongoing traffic disruption originally served as a Presbyterian church when it opened in 1863.

Known as ‘the kirk’, the church was attended by Scottish soldiers serving in the nearby army barracks until the British Army left Castlebar in 1922.

The building was sold into private ownership and was used as a dancing school, a contractor’s workshop, a sales room and the headquarters of Castlebar Boxing Club in subsequent years.

In 1993, the building became the Kirk Art Gallery under the ownership of Paddy and Maureen McGuinness. The official opening was performed by Taoiseach Charles Haughey, who was born in Castlebar.

It opened as the Tulsi Indian restaurant in 2000.