State Minister visits to Athy Museum Society

Last week’s visit by the Minister for State in the Department of Heritage and Local Government to the Shackleton Museum was a welcome acknowledgement of the importance of the museum redevelopment project. Work on redeveloping the museum will begin early next year and on completion will provide a very important addition to the cultural landscape of Athy. The Shackleton Museum, with the Community Library and the Arts Centre in Woodstock Street, comprise a cultural infrastructure for the town of Athy which will hugely contribute to the future growth and development of the South Kildare town. It is a major achievement for the Directors of the Heritage Company that 3.1 million euros has already been committed to the project. Both the Irish government and Kildare County Council have come together to make this finance available and the Heritage Company will shortly announce fundraising initiatives to raise the balance of the money. The Minister for State, Malcolm Noonan, arrived in Athy at 10am and after brief introductory remarks was shown through the Town Hall building by Grainne Keane, Architect and Ronan O’Flaherty of the Museum Design Team to walk through the proposed layout of the Shackleton Museum. Following the building tour, the Minister announced that the government intends to commence discussions on signing the Antarctic Treaty. This was very welcome news as at every Shackleton Autumn School for the last 20 years the question of Ireland’s involvement in the Antarctic Treaty has been raised. Presentations on the issue have in the past been made to government ministers, but unfortunately due to changes in government Ireland has not yet become a signatory to the Treaty. With the Minister’s announcement the long-awaited decision of the Irish government will hopefully see the Antarctic Treaty signed and might we expect the signing to coincide with the centenary commemoration of Ernest Shackleton’s death on 5th January next year? As the Minister for State met locals in the back square last week, crowded around Emily Square, both front and back, were the Tuesday market stalls. The colourful scene was the subject of complementary remarks by the Minister who appreciated the social value of the weekly influx of traders and dealers to our town’s square. Athy’s ancient market rights go back to 1515 when King Henry VIII gave the Town Provost the right to hold a market in a place chosen by the Duke of Leinster. The area subsequently known as Market Square and now Emily Square was chosen as the market site. In later years Athy Town Commissioners and subsequently Athy Urban District Council acquired the market rights as successor to the Town Provost and the Borough Council and by the same succession rights the market rights are now held by Kildare County Council. Despite the Minister’s engaging and welcoming words regarding Tuesday’s market, the market scene presented as an untidy and somewhat shambolic one. I know the former Urban District Council were asked some years ago to consider drafting market bylaws to regulate casual trading in the town. A possible legal obstacle presented itself at that time when a case was taken in the High Court against Kilkenny Borough Council’s attempt to regulate the market in their city. However, that case concluded with a decision favourable to the Borough Council. The High Court decision was subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, but that Court affirmed the earlier decision which would seem to clear the way for local authorities throughout Ireland to implement the terms of the Casual Trading Act of 1995. With plans to redevelop Emily Square now is the time for the Council to consider passing market bylaws which would help improve the appearance of the town’s Tuesday market. Some local authorities in the UK provide stands and canopies which they set out on market days and rent to stall holders. This is something Kildare County Council might consider as a means of improving the town market. I talked to two stallholders last week and both of them expressed support for a similar scheme in Athy. One a trader from the South East explained how a 5am start was necessary to ensure that she gained her usual pitch before locals parked their cars in the square. If as happens in many other towns car parking was prohibited from midnight on market day life would be so much easier for the stall holders and market byelaws would be more acceptable to them. Markets should be colourful, interesting events and Kildare County council could do much to ensure that Athy’s weekly market is a vibrant addition to the commercial life of the town. The reordering of Emily Square which is at the planning stage cannot be regarded as completed unless and until Kildare County Council take steps to regulate and improve the market. The market can be an important part of the regeneration of the town’s centre which hopefully should benefit hugely from the opening of the outer relief road. Incidentally, the Tuesday market is not the only authorised town market. In the latter part of the 19th century Athy Town Commissioners approved the holding of a second weekly market every Saturday in the town square. Some years ago what was called a farmers market was held on Sundays in the square. Regrettably, it ceased after a few years but in outlying towns farmers markets/craft markets have become a familiar feature of Irish provincial town life. I wonder if the local Enterprise Centre or the town’s promoters team would look at the possibility of organising a similar type of market every Saturday in the town centre?