New craft shops and salmon smokehouse set for Mallow Castle
Outbuildings on the grounds of Mallow Castle are to be upgraded to house crafts shops and a salmon smokehouse as part of the county council's ongoing plans to turn the area into a major tourist attraction. File picture: Larry Cummins.
Outbuildings on the grounds of Mallow Castle are to be upgraded to house crafts shops and a salmon smokehouse as part of the county council's ongoing plans to turn the area into a major tourist attraction.
Mary Hayes, the council's senior executive officer for the North Cork region, said the local authority's priority for upgrading the amenity was now going to focus on revamping outbuildings, especially the so-called "granary area".
She said the project was “shovel ready” and planning permission would soon be sought to convert the buildings for mixed uses, which will also include the creation of public toilets.
Ms Hayes said this was the latest in a series of moves, including a new playground and general tidying up of the castle grounds, to transform the area and make it more attractive for locals and visitors alike.
The town park has also been spruced up as part of the overall project and Ms Hayes revealed the next step in enhancing it will be the development of a number of 'fishing stands' in it to allow anglers better access to the River Blackwater.
The local authority has received a grant of €90,000 from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to carry out the work and Ms Hayes said the council had a contractor ready to develop them “shortly”.
Ms Hayes made her comments after she was asked by Labour councillor James Kennedy if the council was in a position yet to start revamping the ground floor of the castle itself.
She said at present the priority was upgrading the outbuildings.
The council purchased the 17th-century castle and most of its 30 acres of grounds in 2011 for the knockdown price of €1.7m.
Originally owned by former US diplomats Michael and Judy McGinn, it was first put on the market in 2005 with a price tag of €7m.
The lodge entrance to the castle, however, remains the property of the estate of the previous owners and it is falling into disrepair.
Ms Hayes said the council had contacted its owners to express its concern about this.
She told councillors that works were also progressing on upgrading the town's Tipp O'Neill Park and that plans were being drawn up for better pedestrian connectivity between there, the town centre, Mallow Castle and the town park.
This will include widening footpaths and installing more pedestrian crossings.
It is also planned to upgrade the Spa House grounds, but the senior official said this would be a major job and the council would be seeking national funding for that project.
Ms Hayes also told councillors that a map detailing the town's history, which will be a valuable asset for visitors, is nearly ready to go to print.
It is hoped work on finishing off the boardwalk at Mallow bridge will be completed in the next few weeks. Council engineers said they were reluctant to give an exact date for its opening as some materials have yet to come from abroad, having been delayed by Covid-19.
Fine Gael councillor Tony O'Shea suggested that due to plans for increased pedestrianisation in Mallow it was time council officials looked at ways of diverting HGVs out of the town centre.
Meanwhile, Ms Hayes said an official opening of the upgraded Charleville town park would take place in the next few weeks.
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