South Dublin County Council (SDCC) is in the process of developing a world-class County Heritage Centre/ visitor experience in Tallaght Town Centre that will act as a new cultural amenity for the citizens and visitors to South Dublin. To facilitate this work the Council has engaged the services of EPIC Heritage Consulting Ltd, an experienced tourism and heritage interpretation consultancy, to identify and assess the various themes that reflect the rich history and heritage resource of South Dublin County, with a view to recommending a core narrative for animation and presentation at the new Heritage/Visitor Centre.
‘We’re delighted to be a part of this very exciting project from the start’, said Dara Lynne Lenehan, CEO of EPIC Heritage Consulting Ltd. ‘We’ve hit the ground running and have already met with a wide range of stakeholders representing local history and heritage societies, active citizen groups, and local historians, to give us an idea of the rich history there is to discover across the South Dublin County region. As we gather this information we also want to hear from the wider community to help us build the ‘story of South Dublin’.
‘There are a great many topics we could cover in a heritage centre for this area’, said Ralph McGarry from South Dublin County Council’s County Promotion Unit, ‘but we would like to know what stories the wider community think should be told in the heritage centre. That is why we have developed a survey where people can help us identify the most compelling content for visitors to the centre. We are asking those who have an interest in local history and heritage, or anyone who knows of a hidden gem which would be of interest to visitors from near and far, encouraging them to visit the heritage centre, to complete the survey.
The development of the Heritage Centre in Tallaght will complement current investment of over €80m in other infrastructure projects underway in the area such as the delivery of a new innovation centre, the completion of Tallaght Stadium bringing it to 10,000-seater capacity, a new public transport interchange, major public realm enhancement, a new affordable rental housing scheme and the district heating project. These projects, together with existing retail, community and cultural infrastructure represent a structured investment in enhancing the vibrancy and attraction of Tallaght town centre, representative of a focal point of a population approaching almost 100,000 people.
The survey should take no longer than ten minutes to complete and contributions would be very much appreciated. The survey will remain open until 13 June and can be accessed on the Council’s Survey Portal at https://consult.sdublincoco.ie/en/content/heritage-centre-south-dublin-survey
