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PRESIDENT of
Ireland Mary McAleese will oversee the handing over
of the 400 year old Kanturk Castle to the people
of
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Kanturk
Castle
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Ireland on Friday afternoon.
This will be the
President's second visit to the town.
Earlier in her
presidency Mrs McAleese visited the Duhallow
capital to officiate at the opening of the new
picturesque Town Park.
Kanturk Castle, a
familiar landmark on the outskirts of the town was,
owned by the National Trust of England. Its history
dates back to the 16th century and later when it
was a base for McDonough McCarthy, Lord of
Duhallow. However from 1899, the English National
Trust has held the familiar landmark. They have
granted their Irish equivalent, An Taisce, a lease
of 1,000 years.
The Office of
Public Works has carried out renovations and
maintenance such as landscaping.
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President
MacAleese
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The McCarthy Clan
Society of Duhallow has pushed for some time for
the return of the Castle to the Irish people.
"After several years of communication the National
Trust of England has returned Kanturk Castle as a
gift to Ireland", said Dr Jean McCarthy,
Chairperson of the McCarthy Clan Society of
Duhallow.
In 1992 the first
gathering of the McCarthy Clan in 400 years was
marked by the installation of floodlighting and
during the intervening years the group pushed for a
return of the Castle and efforts to preserve its
structure.
"We are delighted
with the outcome and the return of Kanturk Castle
to its native country under the guardianship of An
Taisce and now look to government funding to
explore potential opportunities", said Dr
McCarthy.
Apart from the
McCarthy Clan, a number of local bodies say the
Castle is an important asset to tourism in Kanturk
and the Duhallow Region. A feasibility study
undertaken by the McCarthy Clan Society and funded
by IRD Duhallow looked at restoring the Castle
including re-roofing it, and the possibility of
converting the ground floor to a museum.
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