Make Turlough a heritage village – McLoughlin

Áine Ryan

CASTLEBAR Municipal District councillor Martin McLoughlin has called for Turlough village to be designated as a heritage village. He successfully proposed a motion before the last meeting of the municipal district for Turlough to be designated a heritage village.
Speaking afterwards Cllr McLoughlin said: “I was absolutely thrilled to have cross-party support for the motion, it is definitely a positive step in the right direction in achieving the goal of getting the village of Turlough designated as a heritage village.
“On visiting Turlough one would have to be impressed with the wonderful work that is continually carried out there on a voluntary basis, there is a vast amount of work being done in the area from the Turlough enhancement scheme to the restoration of stone walls along with the green way walks,” he observed.
“Looking at Turlough Village you can see it is rich in history and heritage. The history of the village spans from a 12th century Round Tower and Abbey once under the diocese of Armagh. The village was also once home to the Fitzgerald Clan from Cromwellian times and the list goes on. Turlough definitely has all the makings of a heritage village,” McLoughlin continued.
He said that central to its attractiveness is that the village is home to The National Museum of Ireland: Country Life, which hosts over 100,000 visitors annually.
“Unfortunately under current legislation it is by no means an easy task to have Turlough designated a heritage village but this will in no way discourage me from pursuing this objective and I am willing to do all I can to obtain this title for Turlough as I feel it is well deserved,” added Cllr McLoughlin