Enniscorthy Castle Reopens

Judgement Day

Uphill - No it didn't occur to me that the anybody connected with my job application would have been reading my blog. However, if they had they still wouldn't have had the faintest idea who was behind it. I knew before I applied that I hadn't a hope of getting the job but it keeps my hand in. I would have appreciated an interview but that said it would probably have just been going through the motions. I went for a job interview with the since defunct Wexford Tourism (?) Organisation and it was quite clear from the moment that I entered the interview room that the job had already been filled. I went for an interview with Hughes & Hughes in Wexford - also since defunct - you get the picture.

Any way I still can't believe that I didn't warrant an interview for either of the castle jobs - it smacks to me of crass laziness by the interview panel - whoever they were. As for getting over it - I hardly lie awake over it and I fail to see where slander comes into anything that I have posted. :rolleyes:

PS Thanks for your suggestion about volunteering and I have been there, done that and have the t-shirt - never, ever again - thank you!

UpHill

I know some of obstacles they've had in trying to get the castle over the line like having to move the disabled lift 3/4 times due to arch. finds, national funds drying up etc, without a couple of people going way above and beyond their jobs, and I include the current 1798 centre manager, well I think the shutters would be up for a very long time to come. We're lucky that the current WCC county manager Eddie Breen is a local boy, with a family steeped in Enniscorthy history - the famous Breen carriages family. By all accounts he has plagued the powers that be for funding to finish the job.
I'm looking forward to it and delighted they've included an Eileen Gray section and a restoration of part of the castle to how it was when the roches lived there.

Interesting podcasts by one of the last residents of the Castle

http://tinyurl.com/6zh6mmf

Judgement Day

More news of the latest delays at the castle from the Enniscorthy Guardian.



Also available here: http://countywexford.blogspot.com/2011/04/councillors-to-visit-castle-museum.html where you can enlarge the article for easier reading.

I see that they may look for volunteers too but I don't think I'll bother sending in my CV again as I'm probably not qualified.

Ian7

The guardian doesn't say that the castle will be understaffed as your blog states. It mentions volunteers to help tourists which i presume is a similar idea to the walking guide volunteers in Dublin.

Judgement Day

Ian7 wrote: »

The guardian doesn't say that the castle will be understaffed as your blog states. It mentions volunteers to help tourists which i presume is a similar idea to the walking guide volunteers in Dublin.

Thanks for signing up just to defend the council. You can read the paper anyway you like but I think that my interpretation is correct - they are trying to run the place with insufficient staff and they are now appealing to volunteers with an interest in history. Incidentally, I would put money on them not having the wit to contact any of those who applied for guide jobs or perhaps being the council they probably would have enough of a brass neck.

Ian7

yeah it was only a suggestion, cllr. cody isn't running the museum. at least they are putting ideas out there. I'm sure if it comes to it they will have to hire part time staff. Anyway there's nothing wrong with appealing to volunteers. if it saves money then more power to them. The castle has a very limited budget which is already being stretched so i think they deserve a little slack.

UpHill

maybe we're all wrong JD but bear with me

1. Pat Cody made the suggestion about the students/volunteers not any member of WCC or ETC

2. The castle origins as a museum are based on some volunteers getting off their behinds and doing something positive for the town and county. Is it so crazy to consider looking for volunteers?

3. Maybe you need to read more than just the local paper for some perspective - a labour minister today said that class numbers are only going to increase, so yes good chances they are going to be somewhat under staffed but hey so are every hospital, school and gardai station in the country for the next 10 years plus - get use to it

Feel free to correct any of the above and when you're done drop up to the 1798 centre, introduce yourself to the manager and put your money/skills where you mouth is - As one man from this neck of the woods once said "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country"

Judgement Day

UpHill wrote: »

maybe we're all wrong JD but bear with me

1. Pat Cody made the suggestion about the students/volunteers not any member of WCC or ETC

2. The castle origins as a museum are based on some volunteers getting off their behinds and doing something positive for the town and county. Is it so crazy to consider looking for volunteers?

3. Maybe you need to read more than just the local paper for some perspective - a labour minister today said that class numbers are only going to increase, so yes good chances they are going to be somewhat under staffed but hey so are every hospital, school and gardai station in the country for the next 10 years plus - get use to it

Feel free to correct any of the above and when you're done drop up to the 1798 centre, introduce yourself to the manager and put your money/skills where you mouth is - As one man from this neck of the woods once said "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country"

1. Pat Cody is a Labour member of both Enniscorthy Town Council http://www.enniscorthy.ie/ec/CouncilMembers/ and Wexford County Council http://www.labour.ie/patcody/

2. I'm well aware of the origins of the Castle Museum but it is one thing being a volunteer in a voluntary project and quite another being a volunteer in a council run project.

3. I am also well aware of the present crisis gripping the country (none of which was my doing) but I can't really see that that has any bearing on the Castle project. I read the local paper in about two minutes flat and get most of my news from the radio rather than newspapers.

4. JFK is one of my heroes and, believe it or not, I have his picture with that famous line - Ask not... - but as I pointed out in my PM to you I have done my bit and while I was doing it, and using my own money, our overlords were busy looting the treasury.

UpHill

1. Pat Cody, love him or loath him, is a public rep. of the town, given his strong election showing a lot of people are happy enough to be represented by him

2. So if it's a council sponsored project no one should volunteer? Even though they make a financial contribution to just about every heritage site in the county?

3. You don't see any link between the current recession and possible funding/staffing issues with the castle? Welcome to the real world.

4. I deleted at lot of what I was going to write -
Bitter & Chip sum it up

Judgement Day

UpHill - I fear that you completely fail to see where I'm coming from on this despite my PM. I'm 52, I grew up in a similar east coast town to Enniscorthy, presided over by an equally useless local authority and I have done all the volunteering gig and been pissed on by those who should know better. If I had a chip on my shoulder and was bitter as you seem to think I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning. Considering my treatment down the last couple of decades I think that I'm quite a well adjusted individual. Time will tell whether or not that I'm right about the castle but if you bother to read my Sunny South East blog http://countywexford.blogspot.com/ and check the facts on the ground you will have to agree about the state of things for which Enniscorthy Town Council have responsibility. Check out the playground at the Riverside as a starting off point.

PS Don't hold back on your views as I have a thick skin.



Check this view of the playgound from March 2009 - nothing has changed two years later!!!

Ian7

Judgement Day wrote: »

Not sure what's provoked this outburst but I would have no problem with the tricolour flying over the castle - provided it's taken down at night and not allowed to turn into a rag like the one at the 1798 Centre. What bullet holes, it's Enniscorthy Castle we're talking about here not the GPO or Customs House? I don't know when it would have last been on the receiving end of bullets given that it was surrendered to Cromwell's forces and didn't feature in 1798, 1916 or the War of Independence.

I remember spotting this message a while back after a conversation i had with a workmate today. He thought the holes on the rear wall were bullet holes also. I couldn't say whether he was right or not as a I have never seen them myself. I did find this interesting pic on flickr though. seems to be taken on the garden terrace to the rear of Kelly's insurance building. You can zoom in close to see the holes in question.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahalesasha/2562291431/

southofnowhere

The museum will have five workers, including the manager. It opens to the public on Saturday, May 7 at 12 noon. The official opening is the previous night. It will be open seven days a week. Looks good so far.

Holes in the wall were from bullets fired from St Mary's Church during the War of Independence.

Judgement Day

southofnowhere wrote: »

The museum will have five workers, including the manager. It opens to the public on Saturday, May 7 at 12 noon. The official opening is the previous night. It will be open seven days a week. Looks good so far.

Holes in the wall were from bullets fired from St Mary's Church during the War of Independence.

Who was firing at who and where are bullet holes?

klong

Judgement Day wrote: »

Who was firing at who and where are bullet holes?

Free Staters being fired on by Anti- Treaty during the Civil War.

The bullet strikes are visible around a window on one of the turrets on the roof.

Ian7

can anyone confirm if the holes at the rear of the castle in the picture i posted are in fact bullet holes? If so, they could not have been fired from St. Mary's church

that pic again.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahalesasha/2562291431/

klong

The holes mentioned earlier are not those in the picture. There are others.

Ian7

sorry what i really meant to say was that the shots weren't just coming from st. mary's church as southofnowhere mentioned. There must have been a substantial siege from various directions at the castle if the holes at the back are bullet holes also

Judgement Day

klong wrote: »

Free Staters being fired on by Anti- Treaty during the Civil War.

The bullet strikes are visible around a window on one of the turrets on the roof.

Surely the castle was in private use during the Civil War? What reference do you have for the bullet holes?

klong

Judgement Day wrote: »

Surely the castle was in private use during the Civil War? What reference do you have for the bullet holes?

Yes, it was. Armies aren't really known for regarding property rights during civil wars.

Take a look at the "Enniscorthy: A History" book. Page 422.

Judgement Day

klong - I'm happy to be proved wrong about the castle and its part in the Civil War - I have just been to the library and perused page 422 of Tobin's book as you recommended. I'm not a native of Enniscorthy and hadn't come across that information before despite having quite a lot of books about that period in Irish history.
I see in today's Guardian that admission to the castle is only to be free until September and of that I heartily approve. I'm looking forward to the opening this weekend and am approaching it with an open mind. Will there be any free booze?

Cantona's Collars

The nice new grass at the front of the Castle Museum is being dug up again,just before the opening

Ian7

could be something to do with the dry weather drying out the ground? i wouldn't be too worried about it. By the way, does anyone know what the ornate granite structure is to the side of the castle? I'm sure i was told years ago but was probably too young to remember

klong

zerks wrote: »

The nice new grass at the front of the Castle Museum is being dug up again,just before the opening

Cabling for lighting.

UpHill

Came accross the Castle's new website - looks great


http://www.enniscorthycastle.ie/


hopefully they will continue to add to it and develop it

Sully

They need to finish the design first

Must pop out sometime and see the castle. Was listening to South East Radio who were chatting about it today. Sounds good.

Ian7

Anyone else get down to the castle over the weekend? Was there on Friday evenin and it looks pretty good. The treatment of the floor finishes is pretty strange though, rough and ready.

Judgement Day

Popped in for a quick look yesterday but as I had my kids with me and the place was heaving I didn't hang about. Initial reaction was that the fabric of the building was much improved - warm and dry - but the amount of artist's impressions rather than genuine artefacts was a little bit worrying, but not unexpected. Less is more seems to be the theme. Like General MacArthur "I shall return" minus kids plus camera.

UpHill

I got there Saturday, it's clear that the theme has changed from county musuem to the story of Enniscorthy and the Castle which I think is a good thing. It's too small really as a county musuem, Johnstown Castle or somewhere would be better.
I loved the artist impressions and studied them for ages, gives a real sense of how the town developed. After all the clutter of the old museum the castle feels so much bigger and has the air of a professional musuem. I'm guessing they stripped back the exhibits a bit with all the kids running around, hopefully over time they'll add more. easy thing would have been fill the place with all the old stuff and keep every happy but fair play they resisted it.
It was pretty much chaos with all the kids running around the place, half the town seemed to be there which was great! Looking forward to getting back and taking time over each floor. I think Enniscorthy has a serious tourist attraction and hopefully this is going to be good for the wider area as I see Ferns are making a big push as well up there with www.fernsvillage.ie.

Sully

Went up on Saturday, very busy and hard to focus with kids running riot so would like to pop up when all the hype has went so I can study it all properly. Looked very interesting --- guided tours would be worth a shot if they don't do them already.

Are the floorboards new? I think the plastering was a recent(sh) development from the interview I heard on the radio with the chap who used to live there.

Overall, very impressed. But I want to go on the roof

Ian7

there will be guided tours i think.

As far as i know the floorboards are original, just sanded down. strange they weren't sealed back up though. I can see them getting ruined if they don't.

Also, i think there will be guided only access to the roof for safety reasons. lookin' forward to getting up there myself though.