Menlo Castle

kellyreilly

Menlo Castle is owned by Noel Smyth (Ben Dunne's solictor).
His proposal as of now is to restore the castle, keep the top floor to himself as a penthouse and the rest as a public facility.

The Labour party seem to be arguing to leave it as it is.

What is the opinion here ?
* Leave it as it is
* Top floor private, rest as a public facility
* Or should Smyth be allowed to restore the castle and use all of the castle as a private residence.

The city council purchased the land around the castle by compulsory purchase order (basically the owners have no choice but to sell) and most importantly of all any decisions taken is decided by the politicans (!!), it has to be voted for or against by the 15 cllrs on galway city council

galvianlord

Does Smyth actually own the Castle? I thought it was owned by the Corpo?

He offered to restore it on the proviso that he be given the penthouse for his own ownership. Seems pretty outrageous to me, why dont the Council just do it themselves & at the very least make it safe as a ruin Cant see what would be gained, and not sure why he has been given such a special hearing by our leading lights....

biko

Hell no, I'd rather see it in ruins than some fat cat throwing dinner parties for his selected council friends on the top floor.

galvianlord

lookin back on press archives and no he does not own the castle. he offered way back in 2001 to fund its refurbishment in return of 2150 sq ft penthouse apartment in the castle. crazy. why the hell would councillors anxious to distance themselves from developers, good bad or indifferent, want to go down this route. yet further proof of their lack of judgement!!!

JIZZLORD

i'd be against its restoration if his plan was the result. i'd rather see it in ruins

Bass Cadet

knock it and build a road through it...something we can all use :cool: :pac:

po0k

Make it safe as a ruin, perhaps with a stairway to a viewing platform at the top and plant trees around it.
Public park + walkway for the win. badly needed around that side of the city.

{edit}
I thought menlo castle = Terryland Castle.
Outer Bypass plan: http://www.galway.ie/en/Services/RoadsTransportation/RoadProjects/n6_outer/intermap.htm
{/edit}

galwaybabe

Bass Cadet wrote: »

knock it and build a road through it...something we can all use :cool: :pac:

They are planning on bulding a road virtually through it. The proposed new bypass will run within a 100 metres of it and will completely cut it off from its gatehouse, running across the original avenue. the embankment will be twice the height of the castle!
The reason why the council officials are entertaining Smyth's idea is because it's handy to have someone in there who will not object to such a monstrosity running right beside him .
I've seen the architectural plans for Menlo Castle and I warn you, it sets a very dangerous precedent. There are plans for parking for up to 10 tourist buses. How do they get there, - right through Menlo village. Lovely eh!
In order to access his private top floor penthouse, Smyth will obviously have to pass through the first two floors. Watch this space for story of him claiming squatters rights for the entire building in 12 years from occupancy. This is a very real possibility.
I have heard through the grapevine that another business man has offered to do up the stable buildings in return for part of them for private use.
This has to be stopped before its started. Why on earth should we give these fat cats what they want.
Restore Menlo castle to make it a safe ruin for the people of Galway to visit and enjoy. It should remain a ruin in memory of the lives lost in the fire there.

galvianlord

While I am against this proposal, it's horrible to see the words 'fat cats' used in this context. It sends out the wrong message & makes the subject emotive and quite personal. It should be rejected because it's not right for this historic building and not to punish or get one up on people who are successful in their careers.

That kind of talk could easily go against what conservationists want to achieve etc

po0k

galvianlord wrote: »

It should be rejected because it's not right for this historic building and not to punish or get one up on people who are successful in their careers.

I think 'fat cat' sums up Noel pretty well.

Bass Cadet

galwaybabe wrote: »

They are planning on bulding a road virtually through it. The proposed new bypass will run within a 100 metres of it and will completely cut it off from its gatehouse

I never was too good at that sarcasm malarky

galvianlord

just makes me think of the young ones, student bed-sits, che guevara posters, das kapital and a yearning for a worker's republic...that's all, and we know how successful things like that have been

galwaybabe

po0k wrote: »

I think 'fat cat' sums up Noel pretty well.

Not to mention the fact that he has become a fat cat making money by selling cheap plastic crap thinly disguised as 'toys'. Shall we call him the Pied Piper instead?

galvianlord

i dont know why i try taking a moderate line in these forums...oh to be as certain as everyone else is! have to say i'm with Ben Franklin when he said "in this world nothing can be said to be certain..."

what would happen if you substituted fat cat for 'successful businessman'...?

Sherifu

Knock it.

galwaybabe

galvianlord wrote: »

i dont know why i try taking a moderate line in these forums...oh to be as certain as everyone else is! have to say i'm with Ben Franklin when he said "in this world nothing can be said to be certain..."

what would happen if you substituted fat cat for 'successful businessman'...?

Call Smyth what you want. Whatever you call him, it is still outrageous that the council are even considering his idea

galvianlord

I totally agree! But let's be fair to the guy, he's done well for himself!

However the Council shouldnt even be entertaining this one, it has dragged on now for seven years and the great Councillor Conneely resurrected it a few months back...also the way in which himself and our local historian emeritus and fount of all local knowledge (as long as your from Bohermore or the Claddagh) Peadar O'Dowd wrote about him, as being a proud son of Claddagh is pure lick-arsery, jeez God knows when the guy was last in Galway....

biko

I agree with Dr Sean O'Donnell.

I like it the way it is now and would rather not see a bunch of 'successful businessmen' waving down at me when I go to watch the rowing competitions.

Derek_N

This issue is very close to my heart. The following is a letter I sent to the Galway papers last year in response to Cllr. Conneely's proposal.
______________________________________

Dear Editor,

Thank you for your coverage of the debate over the future of Menlo Castle.

In last week’s paper, Cllr. Padraig Conneely opposed the idea that the castle be preserved and stabilised as it now stands, claiming “its restoration would turn it into a great landmark for the city… with access to the castle and to the grounds”. There is “anything up to €12m involved” and the proposed tenant “will allow the city to use it”. I would argue against this route.

Menlo Castle and its surrounding grounds have been a Galway landmark and amenity for decades. The grounds are regularly used during fine weather as a base for swimming, picnics, playing and relaxing. Year round walkers make their way through the grounds enjoying the country walks and rural setting. The grounds are already a de-facto parkland and this should be made official.

The castle ruin, partially covered in ivy and nestled between the Corrib and the green country backdrop has aged well, developing a beauty and elegance in its own right. It has found a warm place in the cultural landscape of Galway, expressed in both art and poetry. As a backdrop to boating, river walks, angling and regattas, it has become synonymous with the Corrib itself, and its grand outline serves as a reminder to the tribal history that created it, and the tragic circumstances that destroyed it.

The preservation of the castle in its present form is the best way to respect and encourage that cultural affinity and symbolism. Redeveloping the castle would only serve to sever the sense of shared ownership, romance and history the ruin now evokes.

Galway City Council already owns Menlo Castle. All that is required is funding to stabilise and preserve the structure and lay some defined walkways - the surrounding grounds should be left in their current authentic state There is no need for a €12m investment, and no need for a new landlord to “allow us use it”.

When Cllr. Conneely looks at Menlo Castle he sees an old ruin, wasting space. I believe that most Galwegians see a lot more, certainly something worth keeping.

inisboffin

Make the ruin safe and accessible.
Penthouse? Jesus, what a precedent to set - no way!

And dead right about squatters rights GB.

randylonghorn

While I certainly wouldn't go into automatic knee-jerk reaction at the mere thought of restoring / adapting any old building (in some cases it's a very good idea indeed, and the only way they will survive), I think such decisions should be taken on a case-by-case basis.

In the case of Menlo Castle, it's a horrendous idea ... the castle should be left as it is (allowing for any necessary work to conserve it / render it safe). Personally I wouldn't favour its restoration for any purpose, and certainly not to facilitate private occupancy.

Amazotheamazing

I'm not a Galwegian, so Menlo Castle doesn't really impact on me in any great way, but it seems to me Galway City Council have a choice to make. Do they accept the charity of a developer who has a lot to gain by having a penthouse over-looking one of the finest stretches of the corrib, or do they preserve or develop the castle for the use of the city exclusively.

Imo, any city council who takes a long term view, can find the necessary funds to restore Menlo from within their own budget, and does not need to go cap in hand to developers. 12 million is not a huge amount of money for a city of 75,000 people. It's a lot, but not a prohibitive amount.

So, what could the council do?

They could leave it as is;
They could leave the building as is and put a public park around the building;
They could restore the building and use it for some civil purpose
They could let someone else restore it and borrow the building now and again.

What isn't clear from the mentioned plans is how the city actually gains from having this developer refurbish it? What does the city get, in clear terms, not is some "sure we'll get it every second Tuesday for cards and cheese" way?

It's up to the City planners to find a suitable use for Menlo Castle, but I would suggest it's site is so perfect, there is huge scope for the city to restore something the entire city could benefit from. Imo, I don't see how the city gains from the current proposals.