Petition for the Book Of Kells Navan SC

squod

People are collecting signatures in an effort to have the book of Kells relocated. It's a long time now since it's removal to Trinity and long overdue a return IMO.

Jonnykitedude

Good luck, not a chance that happening when they have a line of people like below waiting to see it everyday, its about 13 quid a pop too!

Have you seen the state of Kells recently? btw im from there, have lived there all my life. How many businesses have closed down in the last few years? how many derelict and ugly buildings are occupying what has the potential to be a beauitful little town?
the cost of financing such a project would be much better spent promoting and developing local business - there isnt even a single "chain store" in the town.

If the book of Kells was indeed brought back to kells to "promote tourism" the question has to be asked - do we really want more tourists to come and see the state of this town? its embarrasing enough to see the bus loads arriving every summer, expecting to see a heritage town steeped in history, beyond the round tower what the hell else is on offer? its practically a ghost town.

Kells simply does not have the resources to house the book of kells and all the expenses that go along with it. There are businesses in this town fighting to stay afloat and maintain jobs, the money could be put to much better use, hows about somebody start a petition for the kells town council to enchance the local economy instead, in order for us to have a town too be proud of.

squod

Give people a reason to visit the place and revenues will go up. As revenues go up the place will improve. This recession is about fighting for jobs, not expecting them to be handed out.

The people who are running Kells into the ground are the ones doing least for the place. I can't say the book of Kells will help you to get a better town/county council but it's a start.

for a start i never said that jobs should be "handed out" as you say. I said that the massive cost and expense that would be incurred as a result of housing the book of kells would be better spent helping the local businesses in KEEPING the existing jobs.

I now first hand that the traders in this town are on their knees. If the book of kells would return it would only help the lunchtime trade in the town, because, there is no other outlet for tourists to spend their money in this town, simple as that.

Please do not tell me that as a result of the book returning and the tourism generated by its being here, that suddenly a whole new spate of business will crop up like gift shops and the like, it doesnt happen in a town like kells and that it the truth.

Keep in in Trinity where it belongs

Slideshowbob

It should be in Kells

squod

Deleted User wrote: »

for a start i never said that jobs should be "handed out" as you say. I said that the massive cost and expense that would be incurred as a result of housing the book of kells would be better spent helping the local businesses in KEEPING the existing jobs.

I now first hand that the traders in this town are on their knees. If the book of kells would return it would only help the lunchtime trade in the town, because, there is no other outlet for tourists to spend their money in this town, simple as that.

Please do not tell me that as a result of the book returning and the tourism generated by its being here, that suddenly a whole new spate of business will crop up like gift shops and the like, it doesnt happen in a town like kells and that it the truth.

Keep in in Trinity where it belongs

Have a go at making improvements funded by tourism vs sitting on your hands. Great solution.

Improvements to what exactly? how do you improve something that doesnt exist? you do not seem to understand the point i am making,

are you from Kells or are you one of these people who have an idealistic and romantised vision of the book of kells finally returning to its origin, the ancient heritage town steeped in history? - because if you truly knew Kells, you would not envision this dream.

The only business that thrive in Kells are the family owned / established business that have been trading for decades. To put it bluntly, "new" businesses that open in the town are lucky if they manage a full year in operation, its sad but its true, and it has always been this way. I dont like painting the people of kells as suspicious folk who dont like outsiders, but the facts speak for themselves - new business simply do not survive, never have.

Admittedly the pub trade might benefit, a sad reality, "come to kells and drink" - because thats about all you can do, if you are from Kells you would know this. The book of Kells should be left in Trinity and not brought back to a town that doesnt deserve it.

Slideshowbob

Slideshowbob wrote: »

It should be in Kells

Why?

piperh

I have been living in Kells now for 8yrs and to be perfectly honest the town has gone downhill and it is embarrassing when family and friends come to visit.

Anything that brings an improvement to the area should be welcomed but the financial cost needs to be carefully weighed up. The council have just put in bus bays for tourist buses but there isn't enough parking in the town for the residents to park and shop but we cater for tourists :rolleyes:

The roads are in a shocking state, shops are lying empty, derelict buildings, the graffiti that is opposite the church has been there for months and these are what the tourist are going to see, lets at least make a start on making it a town to be proud of before we invite more people to see what we've let it become.

squod

piperh wrote: »

I have been living in Kells now for 8yrs and to be perfectly honest the town has gone downhill and it is embarrassing when family and friends come to visit.

Anything that brings an improvement to the area should be welcomed but the financial cost needs to be carefully weighed up. The council have just put in bus bays for tourist buses but there isn't enough parking in the town for the residents to park and shop but we cater for tourists :rolleyes:

The roads are in a shocking state, shops are lying empty, derelict buildings, the graffiti that is opposite the church has been there for months and these are what the tourist are going to see, lets at least make a start on making it a town to be proud of before we invite more people to see what we've let it become.

There's quite a few towns around the country in the same boat. In contrast, take a look at Trim and see the tourist numbers there visiting a castle and imagine the difference that would make to the area. Dempsey poured money into the place and made something of it.

Book of Kells might facilitate a turn around for the town.

piperh

squod wrote: »

There's quite a few towns around the country in the same boat. In contrast, take a look at Trim and see the tourist numbers there visiting a castle and imagine the difference that would make to the area. Dempsey poured money into the place and made something of it.

Book of Kells might facilitate a turn around for the town.

As i work in Trim town centre i see daily the effect the castle and the money poured into the town has had. The main and most important difference between Kells and trim is that in Trim the castle is accessable without going into the town and there are visitor facilities opposite so tourists/visitors did not have to see the less picturesque parts of Trim while the rejuvination work was taking place. This is not possible in Kells as visitors will have to go into the centre of town to see the buildings and/or the book, this alone makes any camparison between the 2 towns mute.

While most Kells people would like to see the book back in Kells its also generally agreed that the campaign would get more support if the effort was put into at least starting to get Kells back on track first and then work on bringing the book back.

squod

piperh wrote: »

This is not possible in Kells as visitors will have to go into the centre of town to see the buildings and/or the book, this alone makes any camparison between the 2 towns mute.

A visitor centre then. Cliffs of Moher style.

piperh

squod wrote: »

A visitor centre then. Cliffs of Moher style.

That would work if the right place was found:) Perhaps at Lloyd tower where there is already parking, farming and a beautiful view of the town and surrounding areas. There is also farming land there that could be used Moher style. We have the heritage centre opposite the school but the only parking is outside the schools and this would create other problems.

I quite like the idea of a visitor centre as it would enable us to utilise any generated income to benefit the town without giving a bad impression of it for first time visitors and perhaps in time they could be encouraged into the town to see Columbus house and the church

crank_1975

I think that the time and effort being put into the campaign to bring the book back to Kells would be better spent on trying to improve the town first before any thought of trying to get the book back. I live in Kells and I have never seen or heard of a tidy towns committee and quite frankly the place is a wreck. Bord Gais alone have destroyed practically every road in the town putiing down the gas lines. As previously mentioned the parking situation is a joke, the M3 hasn't removed traffic from the town (just witness the line of cars around school opening and closing times). This kind of Town improvement work is just the sort of thing that should be done as part of community employment schemes which would have the dual effect of sorting out the town while giving unemployed people a way to use their skills (construction etc).

squod

http://www.meath.ie/LocalAuthorities/TownCouncilsandLocalAreaOffices/KellsTownCouncilandAreaOffice/ContactaKellsAreaCouncillor/

Wait two years and boot this lot out so.

WildSaffron

People say - let's improve Kells first!

In the meantime Trinity are busy copyrighting the Book and entangling it so that leave it any longer and there won't be a hope of getting it back.

And to be realistic - this isn't a case of picking it up on Monday and plonking it into the Heritage Centre or whatever building is chosen / built.

A professional economic forecast will be needed- return on investment to show clearly how - where - how much etc.

And it's not rocket science - if we had a commitment to have a volume of the Book back - imagine how much easier it would be to put those other things right - and its not as bad as people have painted it above.

The major thing wrong with Kells is the lack of footfall from without.

How about giving people in Kells a new problem: How to cope with an influx of tourists....where will they sleep ...where will they eat....are there enough taxis to cope .....where will the tour guides come from.....etc etc

It's about time Kells stopped looking at the ground and kvetching and gets behind a campaign which - while not easy - may actually work - and may actually bring about a sea-change in Kells' fortunes - as well as that of neighbouring towns.

Let's stop looking at Trinity as the "masters" - and yes - ask for a volume of the Book back!

NufcNavan

They were dead right taking it out of Kells in the first place. As above poster said, major improvements needed on the town.