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Pirate Queen's castle to become heritage centre The home of Mayo pirate queen Granuaile is in line to receive a half a million pounds restoration. Located on west Mayo outpost Clare Island, plans are underway to renovate and establish a heritage and interpretative centre in the ruins of Grace O'Malley's castle. A draft feasability study is now completed and the islanders are confident the £500,000 project will get the go ahead. Spearheading the island community's drive to become a major force in the tourism market is Island Manager, Mr. Donal O'Shea, who says the plans for Granuaile's Castle will attract many thousands of visitors to Clare Island. Cliara Development Company, based on the island, received an £8,000 grant earlier in the year to carry out a feasability study on the project. £4,800 was made available from Leader grants and the remaining £1,200 was donated by the Granuaile Trust. The company must now show the Bord of Works, current trustees of the castle, that what is planned is a viable proposition. When this is completed the property will be handed over for work on the development to start. Responsibility for the feasability study lies with Dublin-based consultants Brady, Shipman and Martin. Partner Hugh Brady has visited Clare Island as part of the survey. During his visit Mr. Brady met with representatives of Mayo County Council and the Office of Public Works and other concerned parties. He has now prepared a draft feasability study. Mr. Brady is due to return to Clare Island on November 24 to present the findings of the study before Cliara Development Company officials. According to Donal O'Shea this meeting should be the starting point towards the development of the centre and he is confident the project will proceed. CREATING JOBS Standing guard at the harbour to Clare Island, the Granuaile Castle is visited by all who arrive on the island. Eight thousand people visit Clare Island every year and that number is steadily increasing as facilities, such as the daily ferry service, come on stream. A heritage centre will provide jobs, generate income, provide tourist facilities and be a showcase for the island, its past and present, according to Donal O'Shea. It is envisaged the centre will house local artifacts and history. There will also be a focus on the life and times of the pirate queen Granuaile. Tourist facilities will include a coffee shop where visitors can mull over a cup of coffee and a snack while taking in the unique land and sea scape of the island, it's history and culture. TOURS FROM CASTLE TO ABBEY As well as local artifacts, there are plans to publish a book chronicling the songs, poems and people of the island. Donal hopes to establish a student scheme next year with young people visiting homes on the island to collect the material, including photographs, to be compiled in the book. According to Donal there are also plans to approach Bord Failte with the possibility of housing a Bord Failte tourist office in the heritage/interpretative centre. An estimated £3 cover charge for admission in to the new centre would, says Donal, create jobs for island people. The Bord of Works, he added, have also indicated they will give employment to one staff member. The Bord of Works employee would have the added role of providing tours to the island Abbey which is currently being restored. BUY SHARES IN A CASTLE Donal has also come up with another innovative idea - selling shares to members of the O'Malley clan worldwide to whom Granuaile is an ancestor. He explains: "I am hoping to go on the Internet to ask the O'Malleys of the world to buy shares to help restore the castle." Investors will be forwarded a share certificate which will include a photograph of the castle. Shareholders can they boast to owning a castle in Ireland, and says Donal, bring people to see their castle and increase tourist numbers to Clare Island. There are two proposals put forward for the actual location of the heritage/interpretative centre. The first would be to place the centre in the renovated castle. The second would be to develop it in a separate building beside the castle and provide a tunnel link to the castle. A final decision on the project will not be made for some time. However according to Donal O'Shea, the Clare Island community is confident of the project's viability and that it will get the go ahead, providing a major boost for the island's tourism status and economy.
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