Desire for Ardee Castle redevelopment is "real", say council

Louth County Council have reiterated their intent to redevelop Ardee Castle, despite a lack of work undertaken to date and public ‘outcry’ on the matter.

Dolores Minogue told last week’s Ardee Municipal District meeting that she wanted a public progress report from council executives to highlight the fact that Ardee Castle is not being ignored.

“There is an outcry here in the town about the castle,” she said. “It seems like we’re doing nothing. It doesn’t seem to be reaching the public that we’re working hard.”

In response, the local authority confirmed the upgrade of the ancient townhouse remains on their radar.

“The fact that Ardee Castle is listed [among the local authority’s corporate infrastructure projects] indicates this is something Louth County Council are intent on concluding,” Joe McGuinness said.

“A design team are being appointed for this project. A graphic designer has been appointed to do some work on a hoarding to make it more presentable in the interim.”

“This project is real,” he added.

Minogue told the meeting that Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan had accepted an invitation to visit Ardee this month and view the castle for herself.