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The Athenry Heritage Company is continuing to fundraise for the final part of the local contribution and refurbishment of St. Mary’s Church as a Heritage Centre. The Committee is delighted with the response from the people of Athenry and will be calling on the remaining areas in the near future.

Galway Family History Society is presently recording details of all graves in the parish and will be including St. Mary’s in the near future. Details of the graves will be recorded and published in booklet form. Many thanks to the FÁS workers who carried out the initial tidy up.

It is hoped that the signs proclaiming Athenry’s Heritage Town Status will be in place before the summer. Tender documents are currently being prepared and work is expected to commence in March 1997. The full cost of the project is £315,000. The E.U. grant of £235,000 represents 75% funding. Galway Co. Co. have pledged 10% [£30,000]. The remainder £50,000 has to be raised locally.

It is envisaged that by the year 2000 1.5 million tourists will visit Co. Galway. The heritige status and development of St. Mary’s will secure Athenry’s place as an important historical attraction and will provide a much needed boost to the local economy. Business generated should be most noticeable in services, accommodation, transport, communications, retailing and social services.

The committee would like to thank everyone who has contributed to date. We would like to remind those who have yet to contribute that there are special boxes in both the Ulster Bank and the A.I.B. and the Credit Union has set up a special direct debit facility. Any member of the committee would be delighted to receive a donation.

The Heritage Committee: Madelyn Brody, Martin O’Grady, Sean Lawless, Pascal O’Dowd, Prof. Etienne Rynne, Ruth Dobbyn O’Dea, Bob Zonenblick, Aideen Rynne, Dermot Monaghan, Eamonn Neary, Anna Gallagher, Padraic Judge, Tadhg Costello, Ciaran O’Keefe, Bob Reilly. Madelyn Brody.

Editor’s Note: This building is, at the moment, being used as St. Mary’s 19th Scouts Den

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Written by Madelyn Brody

Published here 10 Jan 2023 and originally published December 1996

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