'Invaluable' tourism boards officially launhced in Kinnegad

A series of tourism boards officially unveiled in Kinnegad last week have been hailed as an “invaluable resource” to the area.

The boards showcase the wealth of history in Kinnegad, including local amenities, graveyards, and historical buildings, while providing a structured route for tourists to see the best the town and surrounding area have to offer.

QR codes feature on a number of the boards and can be scanned to bring up an audio file that plays a guided tour of Kinnegad, recorded by parish priest Fr Tom Gilroy.

The initiative is a joint effort by local Cllr Denis Leonard, Westmeath County Council, and has been sponsored by Breedon Cement.

Speaking at the official launch on Thursday, September 5, Cllr Leonard explained the thinking behind the boards: “We see them as an invaluable resource for the area in trying to publicise many things,” he said.

“There’s about 10 very historic sites here that are within a few kilometres of the town, which represent the ancient history of Kinnegad and share some of the local history as well – we’re delighted to have them.”

He also noted other works taking place in the town.

“We’ve painted up to 20 buildings here on the main street, we have a lovely library project under way, and new works have been done in the town park,” he said.

“We always put expressions of interest every year into Westmeath County Council for various projects, and thankfully they’ve been supportive in building Kinnegad up as the third largest town in Westmeath.

“We also hope, in time, that Harry’s will be returned to tourism or the old Phoenix so that we can have tourist beds and visitors, where people can come to Kinnegad and appreciate the local history.”

Fr Tom Gilroy said the signs will be effective in giving people “a sense of where they’re coming to”.

“In my view, it’s great that we have these developing communities and people coming to the communities,” he said.

“It’s great that people have an opportunity to have a sense of where they’re coming to, a sense of history, and hopefully a sense of buy-in, purpose, and meaning from it.

“The sense of community is one thing, but a sense of knowing where you are; to me, that deepens the connection further.”

John Gildea from the Kinnegad Business Association thinks the plan will benefit the town: “I think any project like this that enhances both businesses and communities should be welcomed, and we’re really grateful for the support,” he said.

“It’s an energetic community here in Kinnegad; we really want to improve things, and we’re really delighted to have this under way.”

Margaret Egan from Westmeath County Council said they were happy to get behind the project.

“We’re very happy to support initiatives like this,” she said.

“We also did the streetscape enhancement and like to help in any way we can with rural support schemes and grants.”

Also recently finished in Kinnegad was the Boreen Bradach 5km loop, where there are now new signs stationed every kilometre to show runners and walkers their progress.