Discussions are expected to take place between a County Limerick golf
club and the Office of Public Works (OPW) in the coming weeks over the
fate of a 15th century Franciscan Abbey that is badly in need of
repair.
It is expected that the Minister for Public Works Mr Brian Hayes TD will visit the site in the coming weeks.
However because the
Friary is on the site of Adare golf club, it is therefore owned by the
club and not by the State.
In an interview with the local media this week Club chairman Tommy
Healy said, “We can't let the Friary fall down but we can't do anything
without help from the Office of Public Works as we don't have the money
to do it.”
He claimed that it could cost up to €30,000 to draw up a programme of
works for the abbey with another €250,000 required to secure it.
He
added however that, “It's not going to fall down today or tomorrow or
even next year. But the frost and the snow of the last two winters have
penetrated and some of the walls are suffering a little.”
The club has identified three or four spots that are in urgent need
of repair and they are urging the OPW to act on these.
The problem for
the OPW is that, up to now, it has refused to carry out work on
buildings it does not own.
If the club were to allow the land to come into public ownership then
it would lose part of the golf course near the Abbey which, is states,
is land it can ill -afford to lose.
Discussions between Adare Golf Club and the OPW are expected to take
place in the coming months when the issue of repairs is expected to be
resolved.