Ireland

An adventurous vision for the future of Ballyfin estate

A detailed plan has been drawn up for the future of Ballyfin estate in Co Laois, which is up for sale and includes a listed building…

Thu Feb 07 2002 - 00:00

A detailed plan has been drawn up for the future of Ballyfin estate in Co Laois, which is up for sale and includes a listed building on 600 acres.

The vision for the future of the property was presented to the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht & the Islands by a deputation from Laois County Council in recent days.

The local authority wants the Department to buy the property put on the market by the Patrician Brothers who are no longer able to afford its upkeep.

Mr Louis Brennan, director of Housing, Social & Cultural Services with the county council, said he wanted to see the estate turned into "an academy for learning and living" in Ballyfin.

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His plan includes the following proposals:

  • that Ballyfin House, the listed building on the estate, be restored for use as the National Museum of Architecture for Ireland;
  • that dormitories on the property, formerly used by boarding students, be converted into an international artists residential retreat;
  • that a national children's play park be developed on site;
  • that the lands be used as a permanent home for community games;
  • that Ballyfin be used as a base to which bodies such as the Arts Council and the Irish Sports Council could be decentralised;
  • that it be the headquarters for the National Children's Advisory Council;
  • and that it be used for Cabinet meetings and other State functions.

Mr Brennan, in his submission, said it would be "a travesty" if the opportunity to buy the estate wasn't grasped. "The whole concept is based on balanced regional development," he said.

A spokesman for the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, said the delegation was informed the Minister had no money to purchase the property.

However, he said Ballyfin House was "a very important house architecturally" and the Department of Finance would be contacted to see if it could finance the purchase of the estate.

A spokesman for the Department of Finance said it had received correspondence from Ms de Valera in relation to the proposals this week and it was "being considered".