Smith TD seeks funding for Shannon Pot heritage project
Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan-Monaghan Brendan Smith asked that Minister Catherine Martin's department looked upon the Shannon Pot Discovery Centre application favourably.
A local TD has called on the Government the Minister for Tourism to prioritise funding for the development of a Shannon Pot Discovery Centre at the source of the River Shannon at Derrylahan, near Glangevlin.
As first reported by The Anglo-Celt in November last year, Cavan County Council are exploring the means to deliver a hugely ambitious multi-million proposal.
Up to €6.6 million could be invested in the project, which would become a natural extension to the already hugely popular Burren Park.
To realise the proposal the council has already lodged an application for funding through Fáilte Ireland's 'Platforms for Growth' initiative under the theme 'Immersive, Culture and Heritage'.
From over 200 applications for funding initially, the Cavan 'Shannon Pot Discovery Centre' has been whittled down to the final 20. The successful projects are likely to be notified of a decision before June
Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan-Monaghan Brendan Smith asked that Minister Catherine Martin's department looked upon the application favourably.
“This project, when delivered, will be a key tourism attraction for the Upper Shannon region. I am very anxious for this project to be advanced without delay as it will add considerably to the tourism product in the Upper Shannon region,” he said. “This is right in the heart of the UNESCO-recognised Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark and in the Cavan Burren area.”
Deputy Smith concluded by urging the Tourism Minister to see the overwhelming merits in getting this project greenlit.
“The source of the River Shannon, a river that is central to so much of our national tourism industry, needs this amenity. I sincerely hope the Martin will be able to speak to the officials in Fáilte Ireland, who are assessing the application, about its merits and the need for such investment in this part of the Hidden Heartlands of Ireland.”
Cavan County Council had been engaging Ireland's national tourism development authority for almost a year-and-a-half, fine-tuning their proposal, before finally making their submission.
'Platforms for Growth' is the largest investment programme of its kind to benefit tourism with individual grants available for large-scale visitor attractions of €2.5million upwards.
Director of Services Brendan Jennings explained at the time that the idea would be to incorporate a range of elements such as augmented reality in order to embrace fully the history and heritage of the site including lore tracing back to the legendary Finn MacCool and the Fianna.
The result, Mr Jennings believes, is that such a centre could attract upwards of 100,000 visitors per year even by year three.
“It would be huge investment for Cavan, and in particular the rural west of the county. We believe we have made a very strong case, we put together a very comprehensive application, and it would be a major addition to the Ireland Hidden Heartlands project. The Shannon Pot is unique in itself,” says Mr Jennings.