€250,000 roadworks completed on Moore Street

MOORE Street in Kilrush will reopen on Saturday following more than €250,000 of roadworks carried out over the last six weeks. The street, which was home to 125 businesses in the 1840s, has since become dilapidated, with only a handful of businesses remaining open. The poor state of the road, which is the responsibility of the NRA, also hindered the possibility of reinvigorating the street.

However, local representatives are hopeful the roadworks, which are due to be completed this weekend, will help Moore Street to reestablish itself as one of Kilrush’s primary trading centres.
With that in mind, Councillor Tom Prendeville has suggested that the street should benefit from a Government-funded pilot project to inject life back into Moore Street, adding that an application for funding should be made to the Department of the Environment.
As far back as February 2010, Councillor Prendeville said 20 private houses in the street were then empty, as were 20 commercial premises. He also said just two houses on the street had children under the age of 12 living in them and that the population has fallen from 500 people in the 1960s to 95.
At that meeting in February 2010, Councillor Ian Lynch proposed a rate relief, while Councillor Williams suggested a rate derogation should be applied.
However, in reply, town manager Nora Kaye said she wasn’t aware of any legislation where a property can be declared exempt from paying commercial rates.
“In my youth, the street boasted a garda station, post office, courthouse, theatre, travel agency, church and it was a thriving commercial centre,” Councillor Prendeville reminisced.
“Immediately off its main thoroughfare ran Brogue Lane, Malthouse Lane and Factory Lane, where the butcher, the baker and indeed the candlestick maker ensured a level of self-sufficiency for the West Clare capital,” he added.
Almost two years since then, the long-awaited roadworks have been carried out. At last week’s Kilrush Town Council meeting, Councillor Marian McMahon Jones, who owns a business in Moore Street, supported the proposal for a scheme to regenerate the street.
“Now is the time to regenerate Moore Street,” Councillor Paul Moroney concurred, while Councillor Liam O’Looney noted the “tolerance” of the business people in the street, while the maintenance work was being carried out.
In terms of the specific finishing date, Kilrush town clerk John Corry said the work would be completed this weekend.
“He’s envisaging a completion date of December 16/17,” the town clerk reported the contractor Michael Boland as saying.
A street party will be held on Saturday to mark the re-opening of Moore Street. It will feature a photo exhibition, theatre, crafts display, music and dance. The official opening will be at 1pm.
Meanwhile, Clare Fine Gael TD Pat Breen has said his meetings with the NRA helped to secure funding for the work in Moore Street.
“I have been working closely with the local engineer, Cyril Feeney, Clare County Council, on this project for quite some time. Earlier in the year, I met with the NRA to push for the funding necessary for the project and I received a very positive response from them at that stage,” Deputy Breen said.
“The completion of this upgrade in Moore Street will help to revitalise and develop this area of Kilrush. It is a big boost for residents and traders along the street and it should help local businesses in their efforts to attract shoppers back into the town centre,” he added.