Utterly transforma Maeve Square will style as Sligo says to all
ONCE a car park it is now a stunning civic and cultural amenity named Queen Maeve Square which will be officially opened this weekend.
16 months after main contractors Fox Building & Engineering Ltd, broke ground on a cold, dank January morning in 2023, the former Stephen Street car park is now unrecognisable.
It is stunning and this May Bank Holiday weekend will see this gem in Sligo town’s increasingly impressive crown of public spaces take its bow to locals and visitors alike with a three-day festival of events - all free of charge.
Developed by Sligo County Council in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage (DHLGH), Queen Maeve Square has transformed the centre of Sligo and aims to encourage visitors to come to Sligo for events and to be an attractive public space and orientation hub for locals and visitors alike.
Boasting 4,000 square metres of space it has a capacity to cater for 4,400 people who will gather there for events such as this weekend’s Queen Maeve Festival and down the road for various concerts, homecomings and more - all in the very heart of Sligo town with the Garavogue River offering a spectacular backdrop.
The surface is dominated by stunning tiles, with special features dotted throughout the space. Giant parasols will offer shade and cover to ensure those who wish to spend some ‘dwell time’ in the Square the chance to do just that. Elsewhere the arts, the geography and the very essence of Sligo has been captured and a new 10 metre x 2 metres sign with the word SLIGO is certain to become the backdrop for thousands of ‘wish you were here’ photographs and videos that visitors and locals alike will flock to.
Queen Maeve Square will be a huge asset for Sligo for years to come, according to CE of Sligo County Council Martin Lydon.
“Utterly transformative,” he says which sees a former car park replaced with a fully pedestrianised area where the public can gather for concerts and other cultural events, or simply as a place for family and friends to meet on the banks of the Garavogue River.
“Until now, Sligo has lacked a significant public space in the heart of the city and the new Queen Maeve Square creates a focal point which will make optimal use of its unique riverside location.
“Already connected with the O’Connell Street shopping area via the footbridge at Rockwood Parade, this development supports the opening up of the emerging Greenfort cultural quarter located to the north-east, between The Mall and Connaughton Road,” the CE stated.
Dorothy Clarke and Brían Flynn of Sligo County Council spent time with the Sligo Weekender in the Square recently to explain more about the Queen Maeve Square project.
Ms Clarke, who is Director of Services for Planning, Economic, Community & Cultural Development, recalls the first steps in developing the project which were made six years ago. Their plans were put on hold by the Covid-19 Pandemic but were quickly revived and actioned once the pandemic was over.
The major investment for this project came from Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, through their LargeScale Capital Investment Scheme. Substantial funding was also made available from the DHLGH’s Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF) as well as the Council investing the remaining match-funding requirement.
Ms Clarke said it has been one of the most positive projects she has been involved in during her time with the Council. “I think it is the fact that it has kept in step with the ambition and vision for Sligo and the growth potential that Sligo has, which has worked.
It has certainly improved the look of this very large public space in a transformational way.
“People have recognised the improvements made in O’Connell Street and now so far, the feedback on Queen Maeve Square has been very positive.
“Time and again people talk about notable improvements in Sligo town, and I do believe that people are really looking forward to the completion of the project and to enjoying the Square.
Brían Flynn, Town Regeneration Officer said: “One of the big advantages of this space is that you are bringing people into the town centre and when they come to an event here, they stay in the town centre, and it is a benefit to the businesses all around here.
“While creating the space in itself for the purpose of running events is important and of huge value, the economic impact has an enormous value for businesses in the town.”
“Once the Square opens many of the businesses, that have been impacted while work was ongoing will reap the benefits from increased football to this very heart of the town,” he adds.
For those from the town and county or those familiar with the area will understand immediately the transformation.
Put simply, it was a car park, now it is a public realm space - a ‘dwell time space’ for the people of Sligo and for visitors. The former car park has always been used as a location for concerts, homecomings, etc It is now Sligo’s ‘town square’ - a public open space, an events space, a performance space and a meeting place.
Ms Clarke adds: “It is a place we would hope people coming to Sligo would congregate in. It will enjoy public access at all times other than when a public event is being staged there.”
While the festival planned for the May Bank
Holiday weekend is a free event, the plan is for Queen Maeve Square to be used for a combination of commercial events and non-commercial events.
“Promoters we anticipate might choose to use the Square for paid/ticketed events and in that instance, the Council will work with them. It is a purpose-built space, and it gives us huge flexibility in what can be done within the space and what it can be used for,” Flynn explains.
The development of the Queen Maeve Square is multi-dimensional and will provide opportunities for community groups as well as local businesses to prosper.
Ms Clarke says that the council has ambitions for Sligo to become a hub for festivals and events and the new square is integral to those aims: “We would like to think that Sligo can work towards having a credible reputation for organising good quality, high profile festivals and events and our plan is to work towards that in the longer term To do that you need a space like this.”
Some would have anticipated that the loss of car parking spaces would have created a ripple or two, but according to Brian Flynn, that was never a major issue: “We have 4,300 parking spaces in Sligo town, more than any other town of equivalent size - the businesses have been very supportive and accepted the rationale and the fact we have considerable parking resources in Sligo.”