Work on new Heritage Trail set to begin in May

GOING according to plan, work will begin on Haggardstown’s new heritage trail next month. This will only be a matter of weeks after the official announcement of the project on Thursday, April 18,

This rapid advancement of the project that was only initiated before Christmas is due to the decision of Louth County Council to commit €9,000 to the trail, which is envisaged to be a major boom to tourism in the area. The total cost to complete it is put at €25,000.

Most of the work is projected to be done by the end of the year and completed next year.

Louth County Council has provided the stimulus for the brainchild of local Tidy Towns chairman McGuinness to progress so quickly towards fruition.

The council funding will cover a big part of the cost of the first phase of the work, which is expected to come to €13,000. The Tidy Towns will seek to raise the balance through sponsorship.

The scheme involves the intertwining of the history and archaeology of the area, with 12 stations to be set up across the community. At each station, there will be a stand erected containing a short history of the relevant attractions and places of interest at the locations.

An information board will also be erected on the green at the junction of Marlbog Road and the former main Dublin Road opposite Sexton’s road house. It will match the existing signage at the landscaped landmark on the green.

Local historian Noel Sharkey has undertaken a large part of the work, researching and correlating the historical and archaeological information and putting it into digital form to insert on the signage.

The stands that will be placed at selected locations along the trial are presently being constructed.