1 million allocated for improving visitor gardens at Lissadell House
Over a million euro is to be spent on improving visitor gardens at Lissadell House in county Sligo.
The Department of Arts and Tourism announced 1.12 million has been granted under the Tourism Product Development Scheme in a bid to attract more tourists to the area.
Owner of Lissadell house Eddie Walsh told Ocean FM news this lunchtime the grant would be used to restore the glasshouse complex, the upper wall and garden, and an Alpine Garden.
He added that over 1,000 original species of alpine plants existing in Lissadell's original Alpine garden back in 1905 would be sourced to turn the grounds into a major horticultural enterprise and visitor centre for the North West.
Making the announcement, Minister John O'Donoghue said he was sure the garden would prove to be an important tourism asset for Sligo and the North west region.
More than 41 million euro has been approved for 55 other similar projects nationwide under the scheme, which is administered by Failte Ireland.
Mar 15/2006 Oceanfm
€1.1m grant to restore gardens at Lissadell
ALTHOUGH the State baulked at purchasing Lissadell House and estate - which was eventually sold for €3.75m - it has now agreed to provide a grant of up to €1,120,845 towards the restoration of gardens on the historic property.
The grant, from Failte Ireland's tourism product development scheme, is to cover up to 45% of the cost of reclaiming and redeveloping the gardens.
The refurbishment includes restoring an Alpine garden, a regency-style walled garden and a glasshouse complex.
The balance of the funding will be raised partly through visitor admission charges. Failte Ireland confirmed that a condition of the grant is that tourists have access at a reasonable charge.
FUNDING
The owners of the house, Edward Walsh and Constance Cassidy, have said that as a result of the new funding they would be able to fasttrack major developments.
A spokeswoman for Failte Ireland told The Sligo Champion that the heritage value of Lissadell gardens meant that this was a flagship project, with the potential to eventually attract at least 50,000 visitors a year to the north west.
By Harry Keaney/Sligo Champion/223/03/2006
Veronica Burns