Town project nets award nomination

A visionary project which transformed a town park into an attractive community space in one of West Cork’s prettiest towns has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

The Clonakilty 400 Project revitalised Emmet Square and Astna Square and has been shortlisted for a prize in the Urban Design Master Plan category of the Irish Architecture Awards.

Just 48 projects around the country are shortlisted through several categories ahead of the June 24 award ceremony.

Both parks received a major facelift as part of a €640,000 project that also involved work on connecting roads.

The town park in Emmet Square, which had become dilapidated and attracting antisocial behaviour, was landscaped and opened up during the project which involved new paving, the construction of a new entrance connecting the park with a proposed Michael Collins museum, the installation of an attractive water feature with five water jets, eye-catching new lighting, and a bronze sculpture by artist Michael Warren.

Astna Square in the heart of the town centre was pedestrianised, an elliptically shaped seating area in Irish limestone was put in place along with a small ‘pocket’ park. The historic Kilty Stone was also placed on a new plinth.

“It is working very well; it’s a very accessible area — the result is that coffee shops and restaurants have opened up around it and instead of cars there are a lot of people sitting in this area,” said Giulia Vallone, an architect with Cork County Council.

Ms Vallone said she was also pleased with the transformation of Emmet Square, which she had previously been “very closed off”.

Both squares now provided wonderful open-air settings for various community events, she said.