RESTORATION work on Blennerville windmill is almost near completion, it is hoped the sails which were taken down last November will be back up by March/April, just in time for the tourist season.
The iconic windmill hasn’t looked itself over the last few months without its sails which were taken down after they were damaged in last winter’s storms.
Ballymacelligott Community Employment Scheme are carrying out much of the restoration work, in total they have 56 people lending their hands to fix up one of our local landmarks. The work is being done in the Blennerville Windmill visitor centre.
“We’re really enjoying the work, we’ve never done anything like this before so it’s a challenge. The work isn’t difficult, it’s just different,” said Joe Moynihan of the Ballymacelligott Community Employment Scheme.
Brand new stocks are being fitted to the windmill – the stocks are what hold the sails in place. As soon as the sails are restored they’ll be ready to be back up on the windmill.
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This is the first time since 1986 that new stocks have been fitted to the windmill. The workers on the sails have been replacing wood that is rotten and giving it a lick of white paint.
One sail has already been restored to its former glory so they have now moved onto the next one. It takes the group about a week to finish a sail.
There’s good news as well, that further restoration work will be done to the tower itself, along with upgrading other aspects of one of our most well known landmarks.
The windmill had, for a long time, been derelict until Tralee Town Council came along and purchased the windmill which lead to it being brought back to life and opened as a historical tourist attraction back in 1990.