Midlands bog tourism project gets €1m funding boost

Plans to create an interactive bog tourism experience in Shannonbridge received a €1 million boost this week in the form of a grant from the Government's Just Transition fund.

The visitor attraction, called The Lir Project, is planned for a site owned by Bord na Móna, on the road to Clonmacnoise.

It's hoped that it will result in the creation of 25 jobs and will encourage visitors to Clonmacnoise, and boat-users on the River Shannon, to spend more time in the Shannonbridge area.

Fergal Moran and local B&B owner Brian O'Carroll are the two men behind The Lir Project, which has been in gestation for over two years.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent about Tuesday's funding announcement, Brian O'Carroll said it was very positive news but was still "only one step" along the road to making the project a reality.

"We still have a long way to go, but this is certainly a great fillip to the whole thing," he said.

"We are still hoping to get other investment in as well. The project is quite ambitious, but we've had some excellent feedback from our stakeholders so far, and we're in discussions with other stakeholders and possible investors."

The Lir Project is described as "a low-carbon world class visitor experience to help preserve and advocate the peatlands," and Brian said new technology would be used to deliver "both virtual and real-life" experiences for people.

Asked about a possible timeframe for getting it up and running, he said: "We had a certain timeframe in mind, which Covid has slowed down a little bit.

"But we will definitely be looking at the short to medium term, rather than the long-term. We would hope that something would go ahead within the next couple of years.

"While we are located in Offaly, Roscommon and Athlone are on our doorstep, so this would be of benefit to the whole area; West Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon, and East Galway."

A spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, which announced the Just Transition funding, said the aim of The Lir Project was to establish "a range of top-class visitor experiences and services that will create a financially sustainable and commercially successful operation in Shannonbridge.

"The site for development is currently owned by Bord na Móna, who have agreed to lease the site and will include conditions to protect the site and ensure its use is consistent with their objectives to return biodiversity to the land as they move away from peat extraction," the spokesperson added.

The Lir Project is one of 47 initiatives in Offaly and other parts of the Midlands which were awarded Just Transition grants of €100,000 or more in this week's announcement.