Thousands of new visitors and tourists are expected to arrive in Castlebar this summer as a result of new amenities, attractions, and developments currently being developed around picturesque Lough Lannagh.
Following the opening of the long-awaited €1 million pedestrian bridge at Lough Lannagh over Christmas, plans are now in place to realise the full potential of the amenity as a cultural, tourist, and arts attraction, with a direct link-in to the Great National Greenway in Westport.
Coinciding with the recent expansion of the Lough Lannagh loop walk, Mayo County Council has just announced the launch of an exciting new public art programme LANDMARK and a weekend of arts events at Lough Lannagh, Castlebar, scheduled to take place on the weekend of April 20th -22 next.
The weekend will showcase a wide spectrum of activities including music performances, light displays, workshops, tours, boat-trips and talks at the picturesque location in Castlebar.
Following a motion passed at the Castlebar Town Council February meeting, sponsored by the Fine Gael members, the council is also seeking written submissions from local organisations and individuals in respect of the future of the Lough Lannagh area of Castlebar.
Town Mayor Cllr Eugene McCormack, noting that many individuals and groups avail of Lough Lannagh for nature excursions and water activities, said: “There is an increasing number of schools and the local campus of the GMIT using the area and it is now necessary to establish what is the future role in terms of what services can be established at the facility.
“Following the announcement of funding of €1.8 million for the Great Western Greenway, the new cycle route development will eventually lead to Castlebar, connecting to the dedicated cycle network that already exists between Westport and Achill.
“Therefore Lough Lannagh itself will become an entry point for many visitors cycling to Westport and other locations along the cycle route. As a result it will be more important than ever that the amenity is beneficial to local residents and visitors”, he said.
All of the events at the upcoming LANDMARK weekend are free but booking will be required for some.
The varied line-up includes a wide range of artistic offerings, that are certain to appeal to lovers of culture and the outdoors, as well as families and other visitors, as follows:
Commissions
This work by Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly (Cleary + Connelly ), who both studied architecture in Dublin in the 1980s before moving to Paris in 1990, where they have lived and worked ever since, combines elements of performance, documentary, experimental film, installation, writing, and photography.
For LANDMARK they have created On Sight, a series of special, discreet viewing posts, the type usually seen on seafront promenades, positioned in four locations.
Human body relationships
Elaine Griffin is a Mixed Media artist living and working in Westport, whose work explores the relationship of the human body to particular environments executed in a variety of media, including glass, X-ray, ceramic, and digitally rendered artworks. For this project Griffin has developed a sculpture trail of permanent bronze artworks, specifically related to the area, which will be positioned around the lake. The concept of the works being almost hidden, or having to actively search them out, appealed to the judging panel and the clever way some may work with the natural landscape, such as a flower, (pictured ) which will blend in with the natural flowers throughout spring and summer and be left standing alone and clearly visible during winter.
See www.landmarkpublicart.com for further information or contact Gaynor Seville on 094 9047561 or email [email protected]
