Ardagh Tidy Towns have their say on closure of county Longford heritage centre

Ardagh Tidy Towns group have issued a statement asserting their commitment to retain the Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre.

Earlier this month Longford County Council confirmed that the closure of the Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre comes as the property owner did not renew a lease that expired at the end of last year.

The statement from Ardagh Tidy Towns said: “The community of Ardagh and its environs are very concerned regarding the recent news of the uncertainty surrounding the future of Ardagh Heritage Centre and have expressed a strong desire that it should continue to exist and flourish.”

After 13 years in the historic old school house in the picturesque village of Ardagh the local Heritage and Creativity Centre is set to close its doors.

Also Read: Leading Longford businesses recognised at gala Family Business Awards ceremony

Ardagh Tidy Towns has a long association with our Heritage Centre. Winning of the ultimate prize of tidiest village in Ireland and overall winner of Tidy Towns in 1989 was the catalyst for setting the wheels in motion to develop the Heritage Centre.
A combined effort and teamwork from Seamus Kenny and Pat Farrell and the then Ardagh Tidy Towns Committee, Canon Patrick Kearney, then PP of Ardagh and Moydow and Longford County Manager, Michael Killeen, ensured that the vision of a heritage centre in the historic village of Ardagh became a reality.

The Tidy Towns statement said those origins embedded the facility in the community: “It required a huge effort and commitment by the community of Ardagh and Longford County Council as over £300,000 of taxpayers money was invested in the project at the time.

“In recent weeks the chairperson of Ardagh Tidy Towns had a very positive and constructive meeting with the present parish priest of Ardagh & Moydow, Father Vinny Connaughton at which he stated his commitment and desire that Ardagh Heritage Centre should continue in its capacity as a heritage centre into the future.”

The group say Father Connaughton's support bodes well for the Centre's future: “We are very encouraged by this and confident of his support knowing his deep commitment to the community of Ardagh. Ardagh Tidy Towns committee would like to emphasise the importance of the heritage centre to the fabric of the community and believe it has a very significant role in the future from a cultural, heritage, social and educational perspective.”

Also Read: Longford auctioneer selling prime Midlands agricultural land at online auction

The Tidy Towns group are committed to the continuation of the Centre: “We in Ardagh Tidy Towns will work with all others in any efforts to secure the future of Ardagh Heritage Centre and to renew its role within the community.”

The statement concluded by saying: “We would also like to express our thanks to the current custodians of Ardagh Heritage Centre, Annette Corkery and Ann Gerety Smyth for their sterling service to our community over the past thirteen years.

“They have been instrumental in revitalising and re-enacting the legends of Midir & Etain, King Maine and others and for reintroducing the ancient custom of Fraochán Sunday (Bilberry Sunday) on Ardagh mountain in late July.”

The owners of the building that houses the Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre is the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.

Also Read: Great excitement as Longford pupil chosen to appear on The Late Late Toy Show