Cavan Row cottages promise 'heartbeat' for Slane village

Meath County Council was the proud recipient of a piece of the heritage of Slane when the Marquess Conyngham, Henry Mountcharles, gifted the Cavan Row Cottages in the village to the council last week. The official handover took place in the council chamber in the presence of the cathaoirleach, Cllr Ann Dillon-Gallagher, the county manager, Tom Dowling, and members of the Slane Historical Society. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Lord Mountcharles said he would like to see the cottages become a focal point of the village. "Slane is one of the most significant 18th century villages in the country and it needs a boost in terms of getting a heartbeat in its centre," he said. Meath County Council says it intends to refurbish the cottages and develop them into a heritage and tourism centre. Mr Dowling said he was very pleased that Meath County Council had been presented with the historic buildings. "We are looking forward to working with the various groups in the community to develop a centre that will both preserve and showcase the history and heritage of the village," he said. The members of the Slane Historical Society were also delighted when Lord Mountcharles announced a gift of €5,000 to the society to assist with the development of the project. The 18th century artisan cottages, built for employees of the Slane Castle, are in a prime location and mark the starting point of the recently launched Slane Heritage Trail to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Slane as a built estate village. Lord Mountcharles has been concerned about appropriate tourist facilities in Slane for many years and had been among those who campaigned to have the Bru na Boinne Centre located in the estate village, which celebrated its 250th anniversary this year. The new heritage trail which was launched last month is a self-guided historical tour of Slane developed by Meath County Council, Meath Tourism and the Slane Historic and Tourism Committees over the past number of months. The trail recognises the heritage of the village through the 17 historic points now marked out through plaques and panels. It highlights the main historic sites including the Hill of Slane, where St Patrick is reputed to have lit the first paschal fire and introduced Christianity to Ireland; Slane Mill, which is a fine example of Georgian industrial architecture, and Slane Castle.