JUMPING FOR JOY!
SIX YEARS AFTER A NEW MAJOR COMMUNITY PARK WAS FIRST MOOTED, THE NEW €4 MILLION MIN RYAN PARK AT KILLEENS OPENS TO THE PUBLIC TODAY
CHIEF Executive of Wexford County Council Tom Enright was a happy man as he took a final stroll around the new Min Ryan Park at Killeens on Thursday. All around, workers in high-vis jackets worked busily in blustery conditions to put the finishing touches to the €4 million project which is due to open to the public today (Tuesday).
For Mr Enright, the project is one that dates back to his arrival in Wexford and he’s delighted to see it over the line following some delays, not least of all the one caused by Covid-19.
‘I suppose this project first came about shortly after I arrived six years ago,’ he noted as we make our way towards the state of the art playground. ‘When I arrived, I was surprised that a town of some 20,000 people had no large park. Initially, we started looking at seven sites, factoring in proximity to town, housing locally accessibility etc and we decided that this was the best location. We wanted to create a real destination park and I think we’ve succeeded in that.’
While there’s still some planting to be done and some sections still look a little bare, the 18 acre site has really taken shape and its opening will no doubt be warmly welcomed by the people of Wexford, With features including a walking/ running track, picnic areas, an impressive playground, an amphitheatre designed to host summer concerts, a memorial garden for those who lost their lives in World War I and the planned addition of a skate park, on which work is due to get started before the end of the year, even on a blustery grey day the potential for long summer afternoons can be seen.
The contribution of Richard Mulcahy and his family towards the project is significant too. He donated €200,000 to the project which bears the name of his grandmother Min Ryan, a native of Tomcoole and a seminal figure in the foundation of the state.
‘Richard came to visit and said that he wanted to invest in a community project,’ Mr Enright said. ‘As it happened, we had this one in mind and he pledged €200,000, which was really welcome at the time as we probably didn’t have the resources to get things moving. We discussed naming the park and decided it was fitting to name it after his grandmother Min Ryan who is an extremely important figure in the history of the state and was involved in the 1916 rising. This is the second time this year that we’ve had a major piece of infrastructure in Wexford named after a woman, following the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge, and I think it’s a really positive step.’
Mr Mulcahy was also present on Thursday to walk the park and was extremely impressed with what he saw.
‘It’s really amazing,’ he said. ‘We helped open a park in Clonmel in memory of my grandfather, but I think women had more of an influence on Irish history and on the likes of the 1916 Rising than the history books give them credit for. My grandmother was in the GPO for four days with the likes of MacDiarmada and Clarke and she would have run with messages and medicines and played a significant role. Women never really seem to get the recognition, so it’s a great honour to see this park bear her name. I’m also told it’s the first park in Ireland to be named after a woman, which is another great honour.’
Mr Mulcahy was delighted to see the enthusiasm and cross-party support for the project in Wexford.
‘A park like this can have such a positive impact on people’s lives,’ he said. ‘In particular after Covid, I think we all realise that there’s more to life than just work and I hope the people of Wexford will enjoy this space and it can be a place for them to come and enjoy the thing that we probably have missed most in this recent crisis - contact.’
Checking out the playground, which contains an eye-catching slide, climbing frames, swings, zip-wires and all other manner of equipment, Mr Mulcahy’s eyes lit up and the sight of a trampoline built into the ground and he couldn’t resist having a bounce. It almost became a source of competition between himself and Mayor George Lawlor who could record the highest jump!
Having conceded defeat, Cllr Lawlor said that he was also delighted to see six years of hard work finally come to fruition. As he took in the rest of the playground, he was heard to remark: ‘this is award winning stuff, really,’ and he wasn’t referring to his trampolining.
‘I think this is a wonderful, positive story for the whole Wexford community,’ he said. ‘It’s a wonderful example of how a proactive council can produce what is a world-class facility. When people, rightly question where their property tax is going, this is something that they can look to as a wonderful local investment by the local authority.’
While the weather didn’t lend itself to relaxing and taking in the surroundings last week, a quick stroll around the park shows great potential for the future and a place that families will no doubt make the most of on those sunny Wexford afternoons. Covid-19 has robbed the council of the pomp and celebration of an official opening ceremony for now, but the people of Wexford are invited to enjoy the new amenity and hopes are high that when restrictions allow, there can be a proper ribbon-cutting ceremony which can be attended by Mr Mulcahy and his family.