The County Donegal Heritage Office, Donegal County Council will be hosting the launch of the ‘Heritage Towns of County Donegal’ brochures in the Ballyshannon Public Services Outreach Centre, Abbey View, Upper Main Street, Ballyshannon on Saturday, August 9, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. The launch will be performed by architect and author Patrick Shaffrey who has researched the architectural heritage of Irish towns. There will be a free guided tour of the architectural and cultural heritage and history of Ballyshannon following the launch led by Anthony Begley, local historian and author, and Patrick Shaffrey.
“The ‘Heritage Town’ concept is based on the principle that a number of towns with a strong physical character and built heritage would be developed as being representative of the heritage of Ireland” said Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer. “It was intended that the designation of ‘Heritage Towns’ would have the dual effect of helping to conserve the built environment of these towns and of providing a marketing tool for the tourism industry. In County Donegal, Ardara (with its theme of weaving) and Ramelton (with its theme of Georgian port or town) were designated by Fáilte Ireland as ‘Heritage Towns’ in the mid-1990s. The towns of Ardara, Ballyshannon, Moville, Ramelton and Raphoe are designated as ‘Heritage Towns’ by Donegal County Council under the Donegal County Development Plan.”
The series of bilingual brochures on the ‘Heritage Towns of County Donegal’ include an individual brochure on each of the five ‘Heritage Towns’ and a general brochure. The brochures set out a heritage trail for each of the ‘Heritage Towns’ with a selection of built and cultural heritage sites along it. The brochures were produced by the County Donegal Heritage Office in consultation with members of the local communities as part of the County Donegal Heritage Plan (2007-2011). The brochures were funded by the E.U. Programme for Peace & Reconciliation 2000-2006 (Peace II), The Heritage Council and Donegal County Council.
“It’s wonderful to have Anthony Begley and Patrick Shaffrey with their considerable knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for the historical development and built heritage of Ballyshannon available to us for the guided tour” said Mr. Gallagher. Anthony Begley is a local historian, author and schoolteacher, and is former President of the Donegal Historical Society. He is currently writing a history of Ballyshannon which will be published this autumn. Patrick Shaffrey is a renowned conservation architect with a professional practice in Dublin. Among his many publications are ‘Buildings of Irish Towns’, ‘The Irish Town’ and ‘Irish Countryside Buildings’.
Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer, will give a brief presentation on ‘Heritage Towns’ and the preparation of the brochures. The launch will be performed by Patrick Shaffrey of Shaffrey Associates. Anthony Begley and Patrick Shaffrey will lead a short guided tour of Ballyshannon after the launch. If you would like to attend the launch of the ‘Heritage Towns of County Donegal’ brochures and/or the guided tour of Ballyshannon, please contact the County Library Administrative Centre on (074) 912 1968 or by e-mail at library@donegalcoco.ie Copies of the brochures and light refreshments will be available free-of-charge at the launch.