A significant project for Béal na mBláth will be completed in advance of the national event to commemorate the centenary of the death of Michael Collins in August.
The project which will see the site restored to reveal its heritage value and serve as a legacy of the centenary itself.
The aim of the plan is that the site will be restored to reveal its heritage value in the most sensitive and appropriate manner.
Photo: Cork County CouncilA design for the project has been developed by key experts and will include traffic calming measures adjacent to the Michael Collins Memorial along with the addition of car parking spaces and associated works.
Example of the view towards the Memorial Path. Photo: Cork County Council.The County Mayor Cllr Gillian Coughlan has welcomed the news and say the sensitive development at the monument will ensure its universal accessibility and will allow the visitor a chance to experience the landscape and feel what it was like in 1922 when the ambush took place.
Speaking about the project she said:
"Thanks to our partners, Cork County Council, in consultation with the local Béal na mBláth Commemoration Committee, will develop a project that is both sensitive and features minimal intervention but will increase the memorial's legibility and that of its context. Through quality design, the Beal na mBláth project will reveal and re-establish this historic route through our heritage landscape. The site's historical authenticity and integrity will be maintained while ensuring this national monument remains a legacy for future generations.”
The project is supported by the Department of the Taoiseach, Department of Defence and Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as part of the centenary programme of commemorations.
