Ards and North Down Council has said it hasn’t enough funds to pay for a programme celebrating the 400th anniversary of Kirkistown Castle.
At this week’s meeting of the full council, elected representatives said local residents were disappointed that the local authority couldn’t fork out £5,000 for a programme of new events to mark an historic milestone for the medieval tower house, near Cloughey on the Ards Peninsula.
Earlier this month a council committee passed a motion from Deputy Mayor and DUP Councillor Robert Adair for the local authority to ask Stormont for help to deliver a community programme of events. A reply is still forthcoming on that. Councillor Adair also suggested using unused council money from last year’s Northern Ireland centenary budget.
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However a council report states no budget existed for the suggested programme, which it estimated would cost around £5,000. It states: “Officers from the Community and Culture Team had met to discuss what could be achieved given the very limited timescale. Members were asked to note that there had been no opportunity as yet to consult with the community or secure any budget for the indicative activities outlined in this report.
“Officers proposed that the most viable option was to arrange an open day and programme of activity to coincide with the national European Heritage Open Day series that would take place on September 10.
“Access to the castle was dependent on the agreement and cooperation of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, who were the custodians of the castle. Appropriate insurance would need to be in place before the public could be permitted to enter the castle.
“It was noted there was no specific budget allocated for this programme of activity and in order to deliver the initial ideas a budget in the region of £5,000 would be required."
The report said the local community could apply to the council’s second round of Heritage Development Grants for up to £500 or ask for assistance from the council’s Arts and Heritage service for money that would be “to the detriment of others already planned”.
Councillor Adair received cross party support at the full council meeting for the matter to be returned to committee level, for officers to find the £5,000.
He told the chamber: “Unfortunately the council has said it doesn’t have any money to carry out that programme. This is a unique heritage, part of our built heritage in the Ards Peninsula - we are never going to see the 400th anniversary again, and there is great excitement and anticipation in the community to celebrate it someway. I think we as a council can do better.” He asked for figures on the outstanding unused amount from the centenary fund.
He said: “£5,000 is not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things” and added: “It is not appropriate to just say no to this.”
It is estimated the five grand fund will cover a mobile exhibition on the history of the castle, guided tours, walks, a community fun day, a booklet, animation and branding.
Kirkistown Castle, a three-storey late medieval tower house near Cloughey, was built in 1622 by Roland Savage, a Norman landlord, at the site of a ninth-century round tower, and was occupied until 1731, when it was deserted.
The tower was remodelled in Gothic style in 1800 and received further work in 1836. In the twentieth century it was in disrepair, before being opened to the public for the first time in 2001 by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. The castle has a golf course beside it stretching out to the shore.
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