A presentation was given on the ancient Royal site of Rathcroghan by Dr. Daniel Curley, Manager of the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre. The complex is currently on a tentative list for consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

·         The royal complex comprised 240 monuments, of which 60 were registered as national monuments over a 6.5 km radius between Tulsk and Ballinagare.

·         A detailed review of outstanding universal value and attributes had already been carried out on the royal site. Of the nominees on the tentative list, the Rathcroghan application was leading the way, thanks to the support of the local authority and its heritage office and the Farming Rathcroghan EIP initiative.

·         He outlined the main features of the Farming Rathcroghan project and the challenges of managing it for the benefit of local landowners. He said the EIP project was a locally driven project with an initial 30 participants.

·         He referred to the growth of the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre in Tulsk which interprets the royal landscape. From two staff in 2018, the centre now has a total of twelve employees with six college graduates.

·         There has been an increase in service users at the Centre, increasing from 7,507 in 2014 to 18,090 in 2022 to date. There were 1,600 tour visits in 2014 which had increased to 3,083 visits for this year (2022) to date.

·         A major objective was to create awareness building of both the Royal site and the centre itself. To this effect, Rathcroghan featured on the National Geographic magazine and in the Washington Post last year. The Centre and complex have also featured on many national publications as well as radio and TV broadcasts.

·         Future plans for the Rathcroghan site include the development of a local Archaeological Walking Trail, a Roscommon Place Partnership, based on a UK landscape programme and an Active Travel Initiative, featuring green travel opportunities.

·         An application has been submitted under the LIS (Local Improvement Scheme) for improved access to a local route, known as ‘the cave road’. Plans are also being developed for the renovation of existing laybys at the Royal site, the provision of car-parking at the Owneygat site and the erection of an all-weather shelter for visitors.

·         These measures would help to elevate the status of the Rathcroghan site complex. The Visitor Centre would collaborate with Failte Ireland for the proposed redesign of car-parking, which would require capital investment, the site of which is owned by the local authority.

The Cathaoirleach thanked Dr. Curley for his very informative presentation and said that Rathcroghan was one of the most ancient sites in the country and hoped the complex could be designated UNESCO World Heritage status.

Members complemented Dr Curley on his presentation and discussed as follows:

·         There are challenges ahead for the Centre with the N5 bypass of Tulsk village. As a result, greater signage would be required from TII.

·         Dr. Curley and his colleagues deserved great credit for putting Rathcroghan on the map. The proposed new walking trial would be a major asset and complemented the new Farming EIP scheme, a collaborative initiative between local landowners and the Centre, aimed at preserving the Royal site.

·         the rise in visitor numbers to the Royal site was in no small measure due to Dr. Curley’s work. The development and promotion of the site was being carried out in a sustainable manner.

·         Dr Curley had come with solutions to potential issues, claiming both the tourism offering of the Centre and the Café facilities at the Visitor Centre were to be highly commended.

·         the development and promotion of Rathcroghan was something big not just for Roscommon, but for the whole of the country.

·         There has been incredible leadership in managing the Centre and site and Rathcroghan was already a world heritage asset. The members would be supportive of any future investment plans for the site.

·         It is important to determine how best to successfully join up with other tourism projects as to how best the county can be promoted as a whole.

·         it is important both Visitor Centre worked with state agencies in ensuring the delivery of UNESCO World Heritage Status.

·         The Rathcroghan complex is a local amenity which people didn’t appreciate enough- the complex was equal in archaeological importance to the pyramids of Egypt.

·         the development of a shelter at the site of the complex for visitors and over the Rathcroghan mound itself would attract further visitors to the area.

·         Rathcroghan is the jewel in the crown of local tourism and encouraged Roscommon County Council to support the development of the site in whatever way it could.

It was PROPOSED by Cllr. Fitzmaurice

SECONDED by Cllr. Shanagher that the development of a new public art feature on  the new N5 route would draw attention and visitors to the Rathcroghan complex.

The Chief Executive said Dr. Curley had previously met with himself and Director of Services Majella Hunt and it is important the local authority accelerate its own ideas and vision for Rathcroghan. Dr Curley has done extraordinary things to generate interest in the Rathcroghan site. It is important the local authority worked with Mr. Curley in progressing their UNESCO World Heritage application and assist in any future Part 8 planning application. Any plans to develop the Rathcroghan site needed to be conducted sensitively with respect to the landscape and landowners. He suggested the Council set aside €50,000 a year for ongoing works at the Royal complex. He also acknowledged the need for funding to finance parking and the expansion of the Visitor Centre. He said matched funding will be needed to support development projects which would be sympathetic to the heritage of the area. With the development of the N5, there was an even greater need to support the Rathcroghan complex and visitor centre and the Chief Executive confirmed he would welcome the development of associated tourism led initiatives.

Following the conclusion of his presentation, Dr Curley, on behalf of the team at Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, presented the Chief Executive with a bespoke artistic print of a selection of the more prominent heritage sites and archaeological artefacts from county Roscommon, recently designed by Prints of Ireland in collaboration with Rathcroghan Visitor Centre.