Minister sees beauty of Fore for himself
Ahead of the announcement that the OPW would make its paid visitor attractions free, its minister was visiting the village of Fore.
Minister Patrick O’ Donovan arrived in Fore on a sunny Thursday evening to have a tour of the Abbey, the Gaol wall and hear from Fore Heritage and Amenity group about their plans for the area and how the OPW could assist the group.
Top of the list was improving accessibility to the tourism attraction, but the minister was also discussing the OPW’s work illuminating sites across the country, the use of data counters to record tourists numbers and the role that sites like Fore Abbey play in driving the tourism economy as well as an important local amenity.
“There is no doubt that a counter fitted to measure the numbers of visitors coming to Fore would be useful to help draw funding into the area and provide important data for development,” said the minister.
Lighting the Abbey was a popular idea in the discussion but Cllr McDermott told the minister that the last time the idea was floated, competing considerations associated with light pollution had paused the discussion.
The minister also agreed to have a conversation about increasing access to the site of the Benedictine Abbey without compromising the integrity of the monument and returning to finish cow gates that allow the landowner adjacent to the Abbey to graze his cows.
The cows belong to the family who manage the coffee shop in Fore, and Jane O’Reilly has been one of the key people linking the OPW site to the development of tourism in the area. Even her herd is a talking point; the beautiful black and white Belted Galloways are often referred to as Fore’s pandas.
“Throughout lockdown, the OPW kept places like Fore open wherever it was possible to do so safely, and, as a result, provided important amenities for our wellbeing in a difficult time,” said the minister.
“With the easing of travel restrictions, these OPW sites, which we hold in trust for the nation, will play a critical role in facilitating outdoor activities and destinations from which businesses in an area will benefit from.”
The significant increase in visitor numbers to Fore over the past decade has fostered many entrepreneurs including Jane’s Coffee Shop, Hounslow House B&B, The Petal Cafe, Teresa Doyle’s Ireland’s Ancient East’s doll-maker, writer and illustrator John and Brigid Corrigan, writer Manchán Magan, a poitín distillery, a flower and plant business and most recently Ned’s Shed; where a small coffee caravan has been set up that also showcases the work of David Nolan whose business is now creating furniture for outdoor dining and commercial outdoor areas, planters and fire pits.