Funding announced for Castlebar Military Barracks ‘master-plan’

Edwin McGreal

Castlebar Military Barracks is among three locations to benefit in Mayo from rural development funding, announced today (Wednesday).
The landmark site and buildings are currently owned by Mayo County County, but it has lain idle since the Irish Army moved from there in 2012.
Today’s announcement sees Mayo County Council’s radical plans for the barracks receiving€125,000 in funding.
According to An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, this will be for the commencement of ‘work on a master-plan to transform the Castlebar Military Barracks’ into ‘a regionally important creative hub and visitor attraction’.
In Mayo County Council’s submission for funding for the Barracks, it describes plans to transform the Barracks into ‘a signature visitor attraction and centre of excellence in design, artisan food and crafts’.
The council states that these plans have the potential to ‘significantly improve enterprise facilities for creative enterprises in the county’ and ‘provide a much needed all-weather venue for local food market and festivals’.
“Creative hubs are places of immense possibility where emerging innovators and digital/internet techies work alongside other creative makers – artisan bakers, photographers, artists, craft/fashion designers, dreamers etc and in so doing cluster and share knowledge for greater market reach, more business and jobs,” state Mayo County Council, in their submission.
The council states that the ‘master-plan’ to transform the barracks ‘offers great potential for Castlebar to create high value jobs, retain and attract highly qualified young people and elevate the town to a centre of regional importance and excellence’.
The following elements will be included in the project: a ‘vibrant and inspiring’ public realm within the Military Barracks; a collaborative space for the development of the creative industries – craft, art, design, media etc; indoor and outdoor food markets for local artisan and speciality food and drinks; events space for community and enterprises.
The council estimates that once built, facility will see the creation of 36 jobs in year one ‘rapidly rising as the centre becomes established and well known’.
Funding of €50,000 was also announced for Geesala ‘to develop an non-weather dependent facility’ for the village, along the Wild Atlantic Way.
A further €50,000 will go towards helping renovate the Courthouse in Swinford, so that it too can be become ‘a creative hub’ and to ‘create a historical route around the centre of Swinford to benefit both the inhabitants of the town as well as visitors’, said the Taoiseach.
“Fine Gael is keenly aware of the impact the economic downturn has had on towns and villages throughout Ireland, and this year we launched the Standing Up for Rural Ireland campaign to advocate on behalf of rural communities to ensure that the economic recovery spreads to all parts of Ireland,” Mr Kenny said.
The three funding announcements come from the Rural Economic Development Zones (REDZ) Pilot Initiative.
Speaking in March, 2012, after the Army had moved and the site was vacant, the then Mayor of Castlebar Eugene McCormack said it was ‘crucial’ that the council took ownership of the barracks.
“The council previously bought Turlough House when it came on the market, and now it is a hugely successful museum attracting great visitor numbers to the area. Something similar could come to pass here. It is a beautiful piece of real estate right in the middle of the town. We have to get it,” he said.