Road at famous Laois tourist site needs 'immediate fix'

The road at the most famous tourist destination in Laois needs "an immediate fix" to make it safe ahead of the busy summer season.

The Rock of Dunamase, an ancient castle near Portlaoise, is in line to finally get a big visitor carpark later this year, but work is needed now a Portlaoise Municipal District councillor says.

Cllr Thomasina Connell noted that a tourist was tragically killed by a car in the carpark last year.

Speaking at the April meeting, she tabled a motion asking for road safety work, including a Stop sign and white lines on the road from Portlaoise.

"I met the engineer there with a church representative and local residents. I appreciate that the council is doing a larger plan, but we need an immediate fix.

"There is an approach road that gets a high frequency of tourists in buses and hire cars. That's wonderful to see but there is not even a road marking to say Stop. I hope we can get this before the tourist season." she said.

In reply the engineer Wes Wilkinson said that the signage and road markings will be installed as requested, in the vicinity of the Rock of Dunamase.

Meanwhile a public consultation day is ahead for the plans at the Rock.

Plans will be shown to anybody interested, at County Hall in Portlaoise on Thursday, April 27, from 4 to 6pm, including a question and answer session. 

The local authority proposes 44 car parking spaces including disabled parking spaces. Four bus lane parking bays are also planned as are bicycle stands and a picnic area with landscaping.

The council says the provision of traffic safety measures and signage is planned to facilitate safe access.

The site is situated in a field beside the north side of the Rock to be accessed off the L7830 road. The N80 national road is 600m to the south of the car park which will take up 2.5 hectares of previously agricultural land.

Safety at the Rock came into sharp focus in tragic circumstances in October 2022 when American tourist Laura Jones, aged 59, lost her life after being struck by a car at the landmark while on holiday with family in Ireland. Her husband, aged in his 60s, was also injured in the accident, not long after they began a holiday in Ireland with their adult daughters.

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The car park plans can be viewed online at https://consult.laois.ie from until April 28 inclusive and in Laois County council. Submissions or observations must be made by May 9.