Athlone could soon have a World Heritage Site right on its doorstep, if the historic site of Clonmacnoise is successful in its bid for the prestigious award.
A draft management plan for the conservation of Clonmacnoise is to go on public display from this Wednesday November 19, so that a range of organisations and individuals, including local interest groups and residents, can have their say on the proposed designation. The plan seeks to provide a vision for the conservation of the site’s heritage and its future management and evolution.
While the development was warmly welcomed across the board at this week’s Athlone area meeting, there was some concern from Cllr John Dolan regarding the potential effects of a possible ‘buffer zone’ around the site on local farmers and planning regulations. “There may be problems felt locally as the plan includes a large buffer zone, which could have implications for planning and farming practices, and burials may not be allowed in the site. These things will need to be looked at to ensure that people’s interests are protected in Westmeath,” he said.
However Cllr Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran felt Cllr Dolan was “jumping the gun”, and warned against scaremongering at this early stage, while Cllr Kieran Molloy said it would be fantastic to have Clonmacnoise as a World Heritage Site and that the development should be welcomed.
The Clonmacnoise site was put forward by the Irish Government as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. World Heritage Sites have been identified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO ) as being of international importance for the conservation of cultural and natural heritage.
There are just two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland at present; these are the three prehistoric sites of Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth in the Boyne Valley, Co Meath, and the monastic complex of Skellig Michael in Co Kerry.
