Revamped Carrick-on-Suir Heritage Centre to honour legacy of poet and writer Michael Coady

One of the key attractions of the revamped Carrick-on-Suir Heritage Centre will be the Michael Coady Room replicating the office of the town’s renowned poet and writer who passed away nearly two years ago.

Mr Coady’s office where he did much of his writing will be carefully reassembled within the Heritage Centre.

“The space will act as a living literary room, supporting research visits, writing groups and future literary activity, while honouring Michael Coady’s deep connection to Carrick-on-Suir and its stories,” said Sarah-Jane Cleary, Commercial & Tourism Manager with the Explore Carrick-on-Suir tourism initiative.

The €750,000 transformation of Carrick Heritage Centre, located off Main Street, into a world class tourism showcase of Carrick-on-Suir is on schedule to be completed in May.

The final part of the project is fitting out the centre with a state-of-the-art interpretation called Tides of Time – Stories of a River Town.

Sarah-Jane described Tides of Time as a “single, immersive interpretation that tells the story of Carrick-on-Suir through its river, landscape, literature, working life and community voices”.

“The experience is narrated through the perspective of Dorothea Herbert, an 18th-century diarist and author often referred to as Ireland’s Jane Austen, whose writings captured daily life, social change and the rhythms of the town in Georgian Ireland. Dorothea’s father was rector at the Church of Ireland church and she is buried in the church graveyard.”

Sarah-Jane said the new look heritage centre will also include a small bookshop and café to encourage visitors and locals alike to spend time in the space.

The revamp of Carrick-on-Suir Heritage Centre is being spearheaded by Carrick-on-Suir Tourism & Economic Development Committee.

The €441,000 final phase of the project has been made possible thanks to €352,647 funding from Fáilte Ireland’s Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme which is co-funded by the EU and the Irish Government through the EU Just Transition Fund.

This grant is funding 80% of the cost with the remaining 20% provided in matching funding by COSTEDC through public donations. COSTEDC launched its fundraising campaign to help finance the upgrade of Carrick Heritage Centre in March, 2019.

The first phase of the project involving renovation of the historic building was granted aided by the Rural Regeneration Development Fund. The renovations got underway during the summer of 2019 and were completed in 2020.