Former Tipperary gaol to reopen to the public for first time in over 100 years
Half a million in funding will enable an old Tipperary gaol to reopen to the public.
Just before Christmas, €500,000 was allocated to Tipperary under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme for the former gaol building in Nenagh, enabling the building to be transformed into a tourist attraction.
At the January meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District, district administrator Rosemary Joyce told councillors that the funding for Nenagh was the single biggest allocation for the whole county.
"We got the maximum grant possible, which was €500,000, and with match funding from the council, [the total investment is] €555,555,” Ms Joyce said.
The funding will allow the three-storey former gaol block to be transformed into a visitor centre for the first time in more than 100 years.
"We had to get through Tipperary first of all with that application, because only one application under that category could be put in. The gaol block hasn’t been open to the public since 1887,” she added.
Planning permission has already been granted under the Part 8 planning process, the meeting heard, which clears the way for works to begin on the building.
Part 8 planning is usually used when the county council is the one seeking planning permission to carry out building or development works.
"We already have Part 8 planning in place which was done as part of the Historical and Cultural Quarter, so we’ll be doing the prioritised conservation works that will allow it to be open to the public,” Ms Joyce explained.
“We’ll be then looking at how this can be managed in conjunction with the heritage centre so that there can be guided tours there. We will have to control access and there’ll be restrictions on numbers because it’s a building with steep staircases and tiny cells, but it’s fantastic that we have the opportunity of bringing it back into public use,” she added.
Under plans approved by councillors for the Historical and Cultural Quarter in Nenagh are the development of a tourist attraction at the former gaol, as well as public realm improvements to Banba Square, O’Rahilly Street, and the areas around the Courthouse, the Castle and the Castle Field.
The former Rialto Cinema in the area will also be repurposed into an office, meeting and collaborative working space under the plans for the historical area.