Gorey Town Park nominated for national award?

By Dan Walsh at Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council meeting

Gorey Town and District Park, which officially opened in August of this year, will be nominated for a national award in 2024, Director of Services Liz Hore told members at the December meeting of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council held in the Council Chamber at Gorey Civic Centre on Tuesday.

The District Manager’s report from Philip Knight stated that “2023 was a particularly busy year for the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District and saw the completion of several public realms works, the opening of several new resources, the expansion of existing services and the staging of several festivals and events.”

The Gorey Town District Park project won support from all members with its rich community attractions including a new playground, outdoor gym, sensory garden, playing pitch, changing spaces unit, biodiversity garden and pocket forest. Sinead and Eoin Cullen, who served from a coffee van in the park for eight months won the tender to operate the Coffee Pod Café and they were delighted to be part of the opening ceremony and continuing to expand their services.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Pip Breen said; “The Town Park is an outstanding success and is a credit to everybody who got the project over the line.”

Cllr Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin said the park was a great success, he suggested maybe a holding a market there and he also asked the Director of Services if it was possible “to do some planting in the corner?” He was asking for a landscaping plan for the Commemorative/Reflective corner where Peter Kavanagh is installing a stone with the 1916 Proclamation. “I’vd been suggesting that it’s planted this winter to have developing next Easter similar to the Kilmuckridge Commemorative Garden,” he added.

Cllr Diarmuid Devereux congratulated the Council on completing the Town Park making it a good year for Gorey. “Everything worked out well,” he added.

Cllr Joe Sullivan said the most outstanding aspect of the park was the Coffee Pod and he complimented the people running it (Sinead and Eoin Cullen). “There is a nice atmosphere that enhances the experience” for people using the facilities.

Director of Services, Liz Hore told the meeting that Gorey Town District Park will be nominated for a national award next year, a comment that was greeted with universal approval.

Other projects mentioned in the District Manager’s “end of the year” report included the Riverchapel to Courtown Walking Trail, the community centre at Gorey Family Resource Centre, Gorey Men’s Shed, the playground in Oylegate, in conjunction with Slainte Ireland; Boolavogue renovated community hall and garden, the Remote Digital Hub and community shop in Craanford; the public realm works in Ballycanew, and the upgraded CCTV system in Gorey town. The latter was recently completed and “we now have a state-of-the-art system,” concluded Mr. Knight.