Locals asked to pledge cash for gallery plan

PLANS for a futuristic exhibition centre — projected to attract 73,000 visitors annually and create 16 jobs in Kenmare — were unveiled in the south Kerry town, last night.

Business people and private individuals were asked to support the €15 million proposal, which backers say would help guarantee the future of tourism in the area.

Also launched was a campaign to get people in the area to become patrons of the centre, for which grant aid of up to €6m is being sought from Fáilte Ireland.

One of its main backers, John Brennan, managing director of the five-star Park Hotel, Kenmare, said they would need “significant indications” of local support, prior to March 17, before they went outside the area looking for corporate backing.

“We need to have overall funding in place by the first of September. We will then decide if sufficient funds are available to make the project work,” he added.

If enough funding was committed, a planning application would be lodged with Kerry County Council by December, said Mr Brennan.

“We see this as a community-driven enterprise, the sole purpose of which is to ensure the future sustainability of the tourism industry in south Kerry,” he stressed.

Its importance to Kenmare could be compared to the Guggenheim Museum, in Bilbao, Spain, or the Tate Gallery, London, he said.

A site has been procured for the building on the shores of the Kenmare River, close to the town’s landmark suspension bridge.

The centre, which according to Mr Brennan would make an “extremely strong architectural statement”, would include seven galleries, a viewing tower and outdoor exhibition area.

A not-for-profit trust is being set up to run the centre and a board of trustees, to be changed every three years, would be responsible for its management.

Mr Brennan said contributions from corporate sector patrons would start at €20,000, with people in the community being asked to contribute from €50 upwards.

“We see this as an investment in everyone’s future,” he said.

The promoters, also including Riverdance producer Moya Doherty, musician and documentary maker Philip King and former Abbey Theatre director Joe Dowling, have been working on the project for three years.

Mr Brennan said the building, because of its unique design, drawing on the history and geology of Kenmare, would be an attraction in its own right.