Information meeting on heritage recording project

AN open information meeting will be hosted by the Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council and the Wicklow Uplands Council in Roundwood Parish Centre at 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, July 4), to discuss a heritage recording project.

The meeting will focus on using the network of walking trails in the east of the county (both existing and in-development) as a basis on which to develop a Local Heritage Recording Project which will connect, via heritage recording and interpretation, the trails and associated towns, villages and places along the way.

As part of this initial phase, Abarta Heritage has been engaged to compile information using local information and other sources and to generate digital ‘points of interest’.

It is intended that, upon completion, this project will inform the future development of visitor and tourism interpretation to promote this area as part of Ireland’s Ancient East.

‘Local people know their area better than anyone else,’ said Deirdre Burns, Heritage Officer with Wicklow County Council. ‘We would like to engage with local communities, groups and individu- als to record their stories relating to the historic settlements, wildlife and the rich cultural heritage of the area.’

Brian Dunne, co-ordinator with Wicklow Uplands Council, has been working with landowners on the development of agreed access trails. ‘ There is a good network of agreed access routes already in place in the east of the county from Bray to Woodenbridge. The focus of this project will be on this geographic area, incorporating towns and villages along the way such as Kilmacanogue, Roundwood, Annamoe, Laragh, Rathdrum and Avoca.’

The Wicklow Trails Heritage Recording Project is co-ordinated jointly by the Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council and the Wicklow Uplands Council with funding support from the Heritage Council through the County Wicklow Heritage Plan Fund.

Other heritage recording projects have been carried out in recent years in the Blessington Lakeside area, the River Liffey, west Wicklow and south west Wicklow. Queries can be directed to Deirdre Burns at dburns@wicklowcoco.ie or 0404 20100 or Brian Dunne at bdunne@ wicklowuplands.ie or 01 281 8406. CLLR Irene Winters was comfortably elected as leas cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council at the council’s AGM.

Cllr Winters was proposed by Cllr Grainne McLoughlin. She noted that Cllr Winters had been elected to Wicklow Town Council in 2004 and to Wicklow County Council in 2009 and said she was also involved in the Enterprise Park and Wicklow Chamber of Commerce, as well as Taste of Wicklow.

‘She has an honest approach and is passionate about value for money and transparency and has the ability to look outside the box. She also has an ability to listen to all sides of a discussion,’ said Cllr McLoughlin.

Her nomination was seconded by Cllr Vincent Blake.

Cllr Gerry O’Neill put forward Cllr John Snell for the role, saying he would be a very fair vice-chair. He pleaded with the members to avoid the ‘tweedle dee tweedle dum’ nature of politics.

‘I’ve seen the way things work here with the back slapping. We, as a chamber, should go for something different this year for vice. We should send a signal that we consider everyone for the role and not just the usual tweedle dee tweedle dum.

‘I know John has respect and he’s proved he’s no nodding dog. I know all about the wheeling and dealing that goes on before the votes.

‘We could put a real good person here for the next 12 months who’s no nodding dog, no robot’.

He was supported by Cllr Brendan Thornhill, who said the members ‘should give others a chance’.

Cllr Oliver O’Brien also supported the move, saying ‘I don’t think I’ve come across anyone who works as hard and he could bring about a lot of changes which are needed’.

Following a vote, Cllr Winters was elected by a margin of 20 votes to seven, with four members not present for the vote and Cllr Tom Fortune abstaining.

Cllr Snell thanked everyone who had voted and said it was disappointing councillors would abstain from voting in an AGM. He commended Cllr Winters on her election saying he had worked closely with her over the years and said that she would be excellent in the role.

Cllr Winters thanked everyone for their support saying she would represent everyone.