Laois town's regeneration journey gets another boost

A initiative to reconnect Mountrath with the Whitehorse River as a link to its rich history of linen and cotton weaving is set to benefit from thousands of euro as well as expert advice in funding under the Irish Architecture Foundation’s (IAF’s) Reimagine Hometown Architect initiative.

The Mountrath project is one of three selected for €10,000 each plus mentoring and practical support from the IAF’s experienced placemaking team.

The Foundation says the Hometown Architect project seeks to creatively explore, with the local community, how the town can reconnect socially, culturally and artistically with the River.

In choosing Mountrath, the Foundation say the proposal met the Hometown Architect brief by focusing on an issue of particular concern, and an opportunity or innovation for town centre regeneration, in line with the Government of Ireland’s Town Centre First Policy. This policy aims to make town centres across Ireland viable, vibrant and attractive locations for people to live, work and visit.

The Mountrath Hometown Architect project team is Joseph Mackey Architects, Denise Rainey, Town Regeneration Officer with Laois County Council, and the Mountrath Town Team, which comprises representatives from all the local community groups in Mountrath.

Speaking on behalf of Mountrath Town Team, the chairperson Mark Sheeran said: “This project will provide an opportunity for the Town Team to engage with an architect and create a connection between the town and one of its most important amenities, the river.”

A series of workshops are  being organised to engage and collaborate with the community and local stakeholders in order to discuss and explore the town’s relationship with the Whitehorse River. Further information can be found at www.josephmackey.ie.

The foundation says Mountrath, has a rich history dating back to the 17th century, and its location on the Whitehorse River allowed the town to become an industrial hub with extensive linen and cotton weaving traditions.

Mountrath Tidy Towns and the Mountrath Town Team are already working closely with Tim Austin from Austin Associates and Brian Gaynor from Green Pine Consultants to create a landscape plan to help revitalise and improve the town.

The community also embarked on a ReImagine Mountrath process to come up with ideas to regenerate the town.

A proposal for the regeneration of unused building in Mountrath called Join the Dots featured in the Housing Unlocked exhibition in 2022 which was a partnership between the Housing Agency and Irish Architectural Foundation.

Announcing the new Mountrath Hometown Architect project, director of the Irish Architecture Foundation, Emmett Scanlon, said: “The team and I are very excited to reveal that Mountrath is one of this year's selected Hometown Architect projects. This project proves the innovative architectural imagination and strong local ambition that exists right across Ireland for communities to work together to harness the potential of their towns.

“Hometown Architect is one of several Irish Architecture Foundation programmes that seek to build local capacity in towns, empowering communities and supporting architects to imagine and drive change. We in the IAF welcome the continued support of Government, whose Town Centre First Policy for improving, energising and transforming towns to make them better places to live, work and enjoy, is at the heart of our Hometown Architect programme.”

Pictured at a recent gathering in Bailieborough, Co Cavan, to announce the new Hometown Architect projects were (from left) Andrew Forde, head of the Rural Regeneration Unit in the Department of Rural and Community Development, Mountrath architect Joseph Mackey, Denise Rainey, Town Regeneration Officer with Laois County Council, and Emmett Scanlon, director of the Irish Architecture Foundation. Photo: Barry Cronin

Also commenting, Heather Humphreys, T.D., Minister for Rural and Community Development, said: “My Department of Rural and Community Development shares responsibility for the national Town Centre First Policy. A key aim of this policy is to enable local communities and local businesses to be key drivers of development as well as central to the reimagining and planning of their towns for the future.

“With its clear focus on placemaking, the IAF’s Reimagine programme further enhances the Town Centre First approach and the work of local communities towards making our towns attractive places to live, work, visit and invest in. This second call has once again showcased a wide variety of quality projects aimed at affecting change on a local level. The selected projects will set the scene for others attempting similar focus on reimagining their towns as vibrant hubs of activity, addressing vacancy and dereliction, and bringing new life and focus back to our town centres.”

The Foundation says Hometown Architect is a key initiative of its Reimagine placemaking programme. It supports collaborative projects between local architects and community stakeholders to explore possibilities to regenerate their town centres.

This is the second round of Hometown Architect, which supports collaborative regeneration projects by architects and community groups in small and medium sized towns outside of major urban centres. The other towns are Bailieborough, Co Cavan and Moville, Co Donegal.

Hometown Architect is part of the Irish Architecture Foundation’s Reimagine placemaking programme and is funded by the Arts Council and the Department of Rural and Community Development, with additional support to the IAF from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

For more information, visit the official website at https://reimagineplace.ie/fieldwork/hometown-architect/

Reimagine is the Irish Architecture Foundation’s nationwide placemaking programme. The Foundation says it is a key way in which it works with communities across Ireland to co-create and co-design solutions to problems or opportunities they’ve identified in their locality. Reimagine facilitates the connection of architects and local partners, enabling communities to play an active role in the development of their neighbourhoods, streetscapes, parks, villages and towns.

Since 2019, Reimagine has worked with seventeen communities around Ireland on projects identified by the communities themselves. Through annual Open Calls, we select communities and projects proposing solutions to improve their built environment.

The Reimagine programme was initially developed with funding from the Creative Ireland Programme’s National Creativity Fund. Reimagine and associated projects are now funded by the Arts Council, Department of Rural and Community Development, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Established in 2005, the Irish Architecture Foundation is Ireland’s independent organisation for the advancement of the culture and communication of architecture. The Irish Architecture Foundation is principally funded by the Arts Council, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Office of Public Works.