Work On Day Place Begins This Week

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Day Place.

THE Georgian terrace at Day Place will this week see the start of a substantial programme of work and investment thanks to funding from the Heritage Council, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and building owners.

Kerry County Council applied for funding to the Heritage Council in February of this year under the Historic Towns Initiative (HTI).

This grant scheme aims to promote the heritage-led regeneration of Ireland’s historic towns and priority is given to projects that are ‘plan-led’ and likely to make a meaningful contribution to the heritage-led regeneration of the town.

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Of the total national fund of €1m, Kerry was allocated the maximum award of €200,000 towards conservation work of properties on Denny Street and Day Place, Tralee.

The work on Day Place will see the historic railings removed and conserved by master blacksmith, Brendan St John, member of the Irish Artist Blacksmiths’ Association. Brendan has an extensive portfolio and has years of experience in the craft of blacksmithing.

Ned O’ Shea Contractors are providing the stone conservation expertise and will be working closely with Brendan to ensure the plinth walls and limestone steps are conserved to a high standard. Project manager Niall Healy and owner of one of the properties is delighted works are underway and is looking forward to seeing the first set of conserved railings returned to site in September.

Since 2017, Kerry County Council and the Tralee Chamber Alliance have worked together to highlight the built heritage of the town.

In 2017 and 2018 the Chamber Alliance received funding from the Heritage Council and Kerry County Council to deliver the Denny Street seminars and workshops which aimed to begin a conversation around the condition of the town’s built heritage, conservation and the challenges of using these buildings.

A similar project followed in 2019 for Day Place, Tralee which included practical conservation workshops. Condition surveys completed for both streets highlighted the need for a programme of investment in the historic railings and limestone steps and walls which run to the front of the buildings, forming a prominent edge to the public footpath.

Kerry County Council’s Architectural Conservation Officer Victoria McCarthy is delighted to see the project at Day Place starting today and highlighted the huge body of work completed to get the project to this stage: “All ten property owners recognise the positive impact the works will deliver, and without their involvement and dedication, it would not succeed. This project shows that our old buildings are capable of repair, are highly adaptable and are a significant resource to help regenerate our urban spaces.  The project is the culmination of years of working with owners, the Chamber Alliance, conservation professionals and crafts people; a true example of community heritage-led regeneration” she said.

Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Terry O’Brien said: “This is a wonderful project for such an important part of Tralee and I look forward to its completion as soon as possible. Although COVID 19 has had an impact on the project, I am confident that together we can ensure this project will have a highly successful outcome and will be something that we can be proud of in the future,” he said.