Calls to shine a light on the Rock of Dunamaise

THE ROCK of Dunamaise should be illuminated at night time to showcase its aesthetics, attract tourists and visitors and for safety reasons.

That’s what cllr Tommy Mulligan proposed at the January meeting of Laois Country Council when he requested the Office of Public Works (OPW) to provide lighting around the historical monument.

He said: “We’re missing a trick here big time in the county. This is one of our main tourist attractions. It’s one of the oldest fortresses in the country that was built over 1,100 years ago and a castle built over it over 800 years ago.

“We should be trying to showcase this as a tourist attraction and promote it the best we can. It can be done by lighting or illuminating the castle at night time. It would be a fantastic spectacle.” He said: “We’ve seen examples of this throughout the country on other historical monuments. It would have a huge visual effect on the Rock. If we could get up-lighting around the fortress by the OPW it would be a huge addition to tourism in the county and also with sharing our history with passersby.” Cllr Mulligan continued: “It could also be used for light displays around St Patrick’s weekend as well as for the winter and summer solstice festivals.” Seconding the proposal, cllr Paschal McEvoy said the Rock of Dunamaise is “one of our strongest tourist attractions within the county”.

He wondered if the lighting could be fitted while work was being carried out on the new car park near the Rock.

Cllr Barry Walsh said: “We don’t do enough, or we need to do more, to highlight the monuments we have. If that (Rock of Dunamaise) was in Kerry they’d have a halo over it. They’re good at promoting themselves and we need to get as good as them.” Cllr James Kelly said: “If you’re ever passing by the Rock of Cashel you’d see how it’s fully lit up. It’s (Rock of Dunamaise) an OPW project and we need to contact them. Think of the spectacle you would have at night time. It would attract a lot of visitors after dark.” Director of services Simon Walton said the council is in close contact with the OPW and Fáilte Ireland regarding projects to be funded under the Just Transition Funds and would raise the issue of illuminating the Rock of Dunamaise with them to see if a budget could be attained for the work.