Feast for the senses at Monageer Grotto
A BIG crowd gathered at the grotto in Monageer to celebrate the culmination of three years of hard work with the official opening of the new sensory path there.
A perfect idyllic wooded scene, the new path links the grotto with the William O’Brien Walk and provides the perfect getaway for young and old and is particularly proving a hit with young families.
The idea for the pathway came about back in 2015 when the grotto celebrated its 50th anniversary. A three and a half acre site, it was decided it would be a good idea to provide some kind of pathway to link the grotto with the wooded walk. Initially, local volunteers got in touch with the council about making the walkway wheelchair accessible, however, owing to some steep inclines, this wasn’t possible.
Not to be put off, however, the group consulted with the council’s access officer Caroline Horan and decided on the idea of a sensory path, taking inspiration from a similar project in Co Carlow.
The group entered Wexford County Council’s ‘Access for All’ competition, in which they finished second, winning €5,500 in funding for the project and giving them the perfect start.
A dedicated group of volunteers, headed up by Mary Nolan and her husband Liam, drove the project forward and before long, 10 to 15 volunteers were meeting every Saturday at the grotto to work on it. The results are spectacular. In the beautiful sunshine at the launch, those present were amazed by the beautiful raised beds, containing all manner of flowers; a ‘sound wall’ containing musical instruments made entirely from recycled materials and a fairy trail which fascinated the little ones. As well as this, there’s a beautiful, completely accessible, picnic area where families can sit and enjoy their own feast in the peaceful surroundings of the woods.
Bishop Denis Brennan blessed the garden and lead prayers at the grotto before taking a walk around himself and even having a go on the sound wall. In one of his first acts as the new District Chairman, Cllr Willie Kavanagh said he was delighted to see such wonderful community spirit creating such a beautiful area to be enjoyed by young and old. There were also performances on the day by the children from Scoil Rince le Chéile and there was a great sense of occasion.
‘It was a great community event and a great community project,’ said Liam Nolan. ‘ That’s what the whole thing was about. Most of the contractors involved were local and a huge effort was put in by local volunteers here. Also a lot of the plants were donated and rescued locally. There’s so many people visiting now and it’s wonderful to see.’