Relief as Athenry Castle twinning event gets OPW go-ahead

By JACQUELINE HOGGE THE grounds of Athenryâ€â„¢s medieval castle are to be opened up for the townâ€â„¢s official twinning ceremony with the hometown of the Canadian ambassador to Ireland later this year. Ambassador Loyola Hearn is originally from Renews, Newfoundland, which has a slightly smaller population than Athenry, but where over half of its residents claim Irish ancestry. An application to host the August event within the castle was turned down by the OPW earlier this year. However, an intervention by local Labour Senator Lorraine Higgins has seen a compromise reached. Raising the issue in the Seanad last week, Senator Higgins argued the event was part of a wider project to promote tourism in Athenry. Senator John Perry agreed the event had huge tourism potential but argued that the building was not suitable for such a function.[private] â€Å“The OPW has adopted a creative approach and may have come up with a satisfactory solution,â€Â he said. â€Å“Instead of using the castle as the focal point for the event, for which the OPW believes the castle is completely unsuitable, the building should be used as a backdrop. â€Å“The event could be staged in the grounds of the castle where a marquee could be erected and the castle would be a stunning backdrop for the evening. â€Å“In order for the proposal to be brought to fruition, the organisers need to have a deeper engagement with my officials on matters such as risk management, stewarding, insurance requirements, etc.â€Â Senator Higgins welcomed the compromise and said that while details had to be ironed out, everyone involved was relieved the castle would now be available, albeit in limited circumstances. â€Å“Iâ€â„¢m delighted we have an agreement from the OPW that the grounds of the castle will be available to us for this unique event,â€Â she said. â€Å“We still have a lot of work to get across the line but the process has begun and I will be facilitating a number of meetings over the coming weeks to ensure what we have been promised can be delivered.â€Â Among the dignitaries expected to attend the August twinning ceremony include Mr Hearn and his wife Maureen, songwriter Pete St John, who wrote The Fields of Athenry, Dr Hadyn James of the Welsh Rugby Choir, Don McNeil, chairperson of the Ulster Canada Initiative, and Michael Blanch, chairperson of the Commemoration of Irish Famine Victims. â€Å“It is intended to have a live link-up with the residents in Renews on the day and everyone involved in this event believes it necessary to showcase the very best of what Athenry has to offer as a means to stimulating further tourism and economic activity,â€Â added Senator Higgins. â€Å“This is the first time that the people of Athenry have sought the opening of the castle to showcase it on a national and international scale.â€Â Críona Scannell, Athenry Tourism Committeeâ€â„¢s PRO said everyone involved in the project was relieved a compromise had been reached. â€Å“We, as a committee, feel itâ€â„¢s important to be able to utilise places like our castle for one-off events like this, and fortunately Senator Higgins agreed to lobby our cause with the office of Minister Brian Hayes,â€Â she said. â€Å“The twinning event is part of a three-day festival in August, with the banquet, which will be a ticketed event, part of a larger itinerary that will include with our annual traditional Lady Day Mass.â€Â [/private]