New lighting at St Peter's & Paul's church to cost €15k

By Rebekah O'Reilly

A sum of €15,000 is needed for new lighting at St Peter's & Paul's church, Cllr Frankie Keena (pictured, right) told a recent meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District.

Cllr Keena highlighted that the church, which is an iconic landmark in Athlone's skyline, has been in darkness for over a year, much to the detriment of the tourist offering in the town.

"If you look at a photo of Athlone, you see the castle, the bridge, and you see the church. It's the scene that people see overseas. St Peter's and Paul's church at the moment is in darkness, and it needs to be lit up. It is a historical structure, it is an iconic building that is so important to us for tourism," Cllr Keena said, expressing his concerns over the lack of lighting on key landmarks on the west side of Athlone.

"There has been an arrangement in the past that Westmeath County Council would provide lighting for the church. I have been told that it would take up to €15,000 for the work to be done, and surely we can find that somewhere to install a bit of lighting as soon as possible. The parish does benefit, but in fact, the whole town benefits."

Cllr Keena received the support of Cllr Aengus O'Rourke, both of which have been in talks with church officials in recent weeks, as well as Cllr Paul Hogan.

"It's not a new thing that St Peter's & Paul's church has been in darkness," said Cllr O'Rourke. "Church management are under the impression that it's a decision for the councillors to make, and if that's the case, I would say 'go' but we know it doesn't work like that. We are relying on management put that right. It's only €15,000, surely that can be found and problem solved very quickly."

Cllr Hogan added: "I understand that there is a longstanding agreement between the church and the council, and if it was up to the members, we would all certainly be supporting a motion to fix the church lighting.

Here we are, we have a castle in darkness, a church in darkness, and a bridge in darkness. Things are going to have to change."

Concerns over the darkened façade of Ss. Peter and Paul's Church prompted an update from Fr. John Deignan in late November, who confirmed that the floodlights on the sides of the historic building are non-functional due to a system failure.

The lighting, owned and maintained by Westmeath County Council, has reached the end of its operational life. According to Fr. John, the issue requires a complete replacement of both the wiring and fixtures.

District Manager Jackie Finney said: "The council have an agreement with the church that the electricity charges would be paid, but all of the infrastructure is in the curtilage of the church. I will follow up with the lighting section and see where exactly the council can offer support, and although the infrastructure is on parish grounds, where the collaboration with the council can come in."