Kilbeggan honours those behind harbour restoration

The people of Kilbeggan have paid tribute to four individuals whose contribution to the restoration of the town’s historic harbour building has helped breathe new life into an important part of its heritage.

The Kilbeggan Harbour Awards were presented during the Kilbeggan Grand Canal Heritage Weekend, which formed part of Heritage Week celebrations in the town.

Receiving Genesis ‘Children of Lir’ creations in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the restoration project were area engineer Niall Murphy, foreman Donal Heffernan, supervisor Sean Craig and Dina Carton, who accepted the award on behalf of her late husband, Paddy Carton, who also worked as a supervisor on the project.

The event was organised by the Kilbeggan Harbour Committee, chaired by Dan Scally, with the presentations made by area councillor and chairman Liam McDaniels.

The recipients were praised for their work on a project which has become a key element of a much wider regeneration programme for Kilbeggan and the surrounding area.

The historic harbour building was constructed between 1832 and 1835 as part of the Grand Canal link to Kilbeggan. Originally serving as a busy goods warehouse for incoming and outgoing trade, it played an important role in the economic life of the town.

Following a 15-year restoration project, the building has now been fully refurbished and re-purposed as office accommodation. An open day during Heritage Week gave members of the public an opportunity to view the restored building.

The harbour is also set to play a central role in the development of local tourism and transport links. A cycle track linking the building to the main Grand Canal line to the south forms part of the wider project, while a further connection to the Dublin-Galway Greenway has been approved and is progressing.

The greenway link from Mullingar to Kilbeggan, together with the existing connection towards Ballycommon, forms part of an estimated €40 million investment in the area.

With the harbour building expected to become a hub for these developments, the awards provided an opportunity for the community to recognise those who helped preserve a significant piece of Kilbeggan’s history.

The event also highlighted the pride of locals in seeing the historic building restored and given a new role at the heart of the town’s future.