Heritage Landscapes: Castlecomer

The Demesne is located to the north and east of Castlecomer Town. It surrounded the late 17th century Castlecomer House owned by the Prior Wandesforde family. The house no longer exists as it was destroyed by fire in 1960's. The Demesne itself still covers an area of approximately 180 acres. The lands within the estate were landscaped in the prevalent romantic style in the 19th century, with lakes connected by cascades, as well as artificial caves and follies. Castlecomer has always been known as the centre of the Leinster Coalfield and provides the natural gateway to discovering the region. The Castlecomer Demesne Company, a registered charity that was formed to encourage the rejuvenation of Castlecomer, have been putting together several projects designed to increase the appeal of Castlecomer as a tourist destination.
 

Castlecomer river

Hafod walk

The Heritage Landscapes project aims to market two areas on either side of the Irish Sea - centred on the Castlecomer and Hafod estates - as destinations for cultural , offering visitors a range of specialist attractions, tours and activities. This initiative aims to achieve development in the cross-border area that is sustainable economically, socially and environmentally by; widening and improving tourism provision and increasing visitor numbers, taking advantage of cross-border cultural affinities including designed historic landscapes of former great estates, mining history and industrial archaeology, forestry and other rural pursuits. The objective is to improve the areas competitiveness; to raise awareness of the areas; to widen the tourist season beyond the peak summer months; and to create jobs in the tourism and service sector.

Pentir Pumlumon is a community regeneration organisation and was approached by the Hafod Partnership to facilitate a bid for INTERREG IIIA funding. This bid was successful and has allowed the Hafod Estate and Castlecomer Demesne to link with one another with the benefit of socio-economic improvement in both regions.

INTERREG III is a Community Initiative, which promotes cross-border, trans-national and inter-regional co-operation in the European Union and its border regions. The Ireland/Wales INTERREG IIIA Programme supports JOINT Irish/Welsh projects. It aims to promote the sustainable development of the cross-border region through an integrated approach to economic, social and environmental development. The Programme is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).