Tipperary Lions Club awarded grant of almost €30,000 to develop heritage trail

Thurles Lions Club has been successful in obtaining grant approval of €29,600 under the LEADER Programme towards its proposal to develop a Thurles Heritage Trail.

The project, on completion, will see the installation of suitable signage at strategic locations around the town core that will present, highlight and interpret the history and heritage of the town.

READ MORE: BREAKING: Gardaí reissue appeal for Tipperary man who has been missing for over two weeks

What will be unique about the trail however will be its digital element.

Each sign will have a dedicated QR Code that will facilitate the user to delve deeper into the town’s history and heritage by accessing, more detailed, on-line elements.

The project will be delivered in two phases.

Phase one involves the identification of the route, design of signage, translation of sign content, consultation with the public, and the development of the on-line element.

The total cost of Phase One will be €39,600 with Thurles Lions Club providing €10,000 in matching funding.

This matching funding was made possible through the recent purchase of Inscribed Bricks at The Stanwix Village by members of the public.

Phase two of the project will involve the manufacture and installation of the physical signage, and this element will be funded by the Thurles Municipal District of the Tipperary County Council.

READ MORE: Tributes paid to volunteers as Tipperary Tidy Towns group welcomes annual results

The Thurles Heritage Trail will be the first such project for the town that will draw together all aspects of the unique and rich history, culture and heritage that the town has to offer and present these as one unified offer for local and visitor alike.

It will therefore deliver for the town on several fronts, firstly by adding to the tourism offer of the town and secondly providing a recreational attraction for all by encouraging people to utilise the trail as a looped walking route for exercise.

The digital element of the project will also result in communicating the unique heritage and history of the town to a wider audience including a younger cohort who like to engage with the past in a more modern format.

Thurles is well served by mainline rail with an hourly rail service between Cork, Limerick and Dublin.

Thurles Railway Station has a very strategic location and is an eight minute walk from Liberty Square, the town centre, and the starting point for the proposed Heritage Trail.

Thurles Lions Club believe that, with targeted marketing and promotion, the proposed trail, together with the other attractions that the town has to offer, can attract people to utilise the rail connection to visit and enjoy what Thurles has to offer in a very sustainable way.