Tapping in to tourism potential of north Westmeath

Thomas Lyons

For an area with a rich and diverse cultural inheritance, north Westmeath may have been hiding its light under a bushel.

This part of the county features a number of early settlements, including those associated with the mythological figures of Fionn and the Druids, that pre-date the official establishment of Westmeath in 1543.

It’s a place that boasts ancient features like the trivallate ringfort on the edge of Gaulmoylestown lake in Taughmon and the route taken by Queen Medb’s forces as they undertook their raid for the Bó Cúailnge.

The more modern Gothic-style Tullynally Castle has been the home to the Pakenham family for 350 years. So why is it that with such a wealth of heritage, it’s not feted as a centre of cultural tourism?

“We are missing an opportunity to combine preservation of our ancient and medieval structural history with increasing tourism to this unique corner of north Westmeath,” Allan Masterson of the North Westmeath Heritage and Conservation group told the Westmeath Examiner.

Established this year with a focus on projects to preserve the heritage of north Westmeath, the members have set about changing the perception of their area.

They will pay particular attention to the townlands of Foyran, Rathgrave, Lickbla, Mayne and Faughalstown and will work with other community groups around the Castlepollard, Collinstown, and Fore area.

Central to that goal is letting local people know about the many interesting features of the place they call home.

Lady Eliza Chisholm of Tullynally castle is president of the new collective. Her family have been linked with this part of Westmeath since 1655 – her great uncle was the famous 6th Earl of Longford.

“Since the early 20th century, our family have always been immersed in the heritage and history of this area. Particularly Edward, who was my great uncle,” Lady Eliza told the Examiner.

Her father, Thomas Pakenham, is a specialist in European and African history, and started his literary journey with a book on Irish history: “I can’t say I’m an expert in history, but I’m picking up quite a lot from my wonderful father.”

As well as being a member of the North Westmeath Heritage and Conservation Enda Moynagh, Ballymanas, is also a member of the Castlepollard Town Team: “My mother was always interested in history, and I suppose that’s rubbed off on me. I’ve a great interest in sustainability, how we can save this old planet before it’s too late.”

Enda says that lofty goal has a direct translation: “You have to look at your locality. You’ve got to fix your own place as part of fixing a greater world.”

The North Westmeath Heritage and Conservation will collaborate between the community, heritage, and biodiversity groups in the area to achieve a common goal.

Cliff Gurren is another delegate on the Castlepollard Town Team, with a specific interest in heritage and conservation: “Part of the Town Team’s remit is to form new groups to work with the county council and government agencies to act as a bridge between them and the people.

"There’s a crossover between tourism, heritage and conservation, and we can work together to achieve a lot more for our area.” Originally from Ballymanus, Allan Masterson now resides in Amsterdam: “No matter how far away you move from this region, it’s difficult to get it out of your blood. I’ve really wanted to do something practical to support the structural heritage of this part of north Westmeath.”

Among the initial projects identified by the group is the sourcing of funding to clean up the burial grounds of Foyran, Lickbla and Rathgrave (Castlepollard), and to work with Westmeath County Council heritage officer Melanie McQuaid.

That task will see them record and replace headstones with a view to digitised access in the future to minimise the wear and tear on the sites.

As part of that, they will put a sustainability plan in place with a view to retain and attract wildlife. The three burial grounds hold a wealth of local and nationally important burials.

The geography of north Westmeath is the area’s unique selling point: “If you think about it, we are on the intersection of five ancient kingdoms, including Meath, the Ulster kingdoms, and the Connacht kingdoms.

“All the traffic came via this part of northwest Meath. Foyran has been a monastery site since at least the 760s, 770s,” Allan explains.

The group are conscious of the fine line between encouraging tourism and preserving, protecting heritage.

“We have a small number of tourists annually here at Tullynally, compared to places like Belvedere or Strokestown,” Lady Eliza says, “We like that. People feel it’s very special when they come here, because there aren’t loads of coaches, there aren’t queues, it becomes a very real experience, if you don’t mind me using American jargon. The small numbers lead to a more personal experience for the visitor, as well as protecting the delicate heritage.”

To set about achieving their goals, the volunteers are networking with other community representatives: “We are a small focused group, but we have a lot of other advocates who work with us, who are also working in other groups,” Allan says. “They’re enthusiastic to work with us, but obviously it’s a big undertaking.”

Another initial objective of the North Westmeath Heritage and Conservation group is to work on the Westmeath Camino.

They hope to re-establishing the pilgrimage routes to the priory at Fore through identifying the 17th century wayside crosses.

This could encourage interest in opening the old road system and link the history of the medieval roads to earlier, pre-Christian routes of travel across the north midlands.