New body wants to regenerate Columb Barracks for town

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Columb Barracks is home to around 20 community groups, and has potential to contribute much more, says the CBRRC.

Rodney Farry

Published: Tue 28 May 2019, 4:11 PM

Last updated: Tue 28 May 2019, 5:00 PM

A new body has been formed to try and ensure that Columb Barracks remains available for use by the people of Mullingar.

The Columb Barracks Regeneration and Restoration Committee (CBRRC) has been established, according to its constitution, “to fight for the rights of the people of Mullingar to enjoy... the facilities that are available in the barracks” and to “cater for the needs of other community organisations who wish to avail of the facilities which Columb Barracks has to offer”. There are currently more than 20 community groups based in the barracks.

In order to “encourage tourism” in Mullingar, the committee plans to set up a self-sufficient interpretative centre in the barracks grounds. It also plans to set up a museum, open up a restaurant and a youth hostel for back packers, as well as making the barracks a sustainable energy community that gets most of its energy from its own renewable sources. The committee also wants to open a farmers market at which local artisan producers can sell their wares.

Jack Kiernan is the PRO and assistant chairman of the organisation, which has been together for almost a year.

The former barracks and prison on Cork’s Spike Island is one of Munster’s most popular tourism destinations, and Mr Kiernan believes that Columb Barracks also has the potential to become a major attraction in its own right.

He also feels that Westmeath County Council should have taken over the barracks when it was given the opportunity to do so by Department of Defence a number of years ago. “We have big ideas but they have been achieved in other counties. We are not looking to do something that hasn’t been done before,” he said. Last September the government announced that up to 250 social and affordable houses would be developed on land at the barracks under the auspices of the Land Development Agency (LDA).

A portion of the campus was also set to be allocated for community use. Since the announcement, however, progress has been slow. Speaking last month, Deputy Robert Troy hit out at the government for its failure to move the project on. He also said that the “continued uncertainty” is unfair on the many community groups that are based in the barracks.