Call for Castletown Geoghegan to be promoted as Ireland's centre
A call for the Athlone Moate Municipal District to promote Castletown Geoghegan as the geographical centre of Ireland has been made by Cllr Liam McDaniel.
Addressing a recent meeting of the district, the Fianna Fáil councillor said a site in Adamstown, Castletown Geoghegan, had been identified by Ordnance Survey Ireland as the exact centre of the country.
See background here
"This site is within a national monument zone and is surrounded by other local tourist attractions including Uisneach, Lilliput, the Rail Trail Greenway, Belvedere and Lockes Distillery in Kilbeggan," Cllr McDaniel said.
"We have to harness additional interest in the villages that are an integral part of our county. There is heritage and history in abundance within our county and with Castletown Geoghegan being identified as the true centre of the country we should, as a Municipal District promote this fact to a wider audience."
Concurring with Cllr McDaniel, Cllr Tom Farrell emphasised the importance of packaging the county's rural towns and villages to complement what Athlone and Mullingar have to offer.
"As a Municipal District it is vital that we promote our rural towns and villages in tandem with our major towns. They, too, have so much to offer the tourist who is passing through our proud county," Cllr Farrell added.
Cllr John Dolan noted that the county's villages "punched above their weight" with their numerous attractions, but much still needed to be done to entice tourists to visit.
Welcoming the positive comments, Cllr McDaniel stated that there was still "too much hidden" about the 'Hidden Heartlands' region.
"It is essential that we prepare an enticing package for tourists, we have to generate money in our rural towns and villages which have, I believe, much to offer from a tourist perspective. We simply cannot just pass up this opportunity that now presents itself," Cllr McDaniel concluded.
A spokesperson for the council executive stated that the Municipal District would explore ways to capitalise on the Ordnance Survey Ireland designation of Castletown Geoghegan being the centre of Ireland.
"Without doubt, Castletown Geoghegan offers potential to provide for visitors, given its close proximity to important and valuable tourism assets and we will explore how we might capitalise on the highlighted Ordnance Survey Ireland identification of the centre of Ireland and if it could be incorporated as part of a marketing initiative," the council executive spokesperson said.
"Of particular relevance to this area, Westmeath County Council are working with Fáilte Ireland on a Greenway Activation Programme, to support businesses in proximity to the greenway to take full advantage of the opportunities that this presents, along with the Just Transition Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme, which will invest in visitor accommodation and experiences throughout the region with strong projects emerging along the greenway under this scheme."