The North East Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG), established by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the Irish Sea Fisheries Board, is proud to support a new Coastal Heritage Trail in the picturesque fishing village of Clogherhead, Co. Louth. Developed and recently launched by the Clogherhead Development Group (CDG), the trail includes a series of information and directional signs detailing the rich heritage and the breath-taking walks in the area which are sure to attract more visitors to the region.
Pictured: Oliver Kirwan on behalf of the Clogherhead Development Group, receives the North East Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) plaque for his coastal community project from Catherine Barrett, BIM.
The Coastal Heritage project is one of 142 projects funded in 2015 by the Fisheries Local Action Group or FLAG programme. Administered by BIM, the programme includes six FLAG groups around our coast. Designed to empower local communities, the scheme provides grant-aid towards the sustainable development of fishery dependent areas.
Michael Keatinge, BIM’s Director of Fisheries Development emphasised the importance of the FLAG programme; ‘Congratulations to the Clogherhead Development Group, this is a fantastic project and it is a great example of a local initiative that can benefit from Fisheries Local Action Group funding. The funding made available to BIM from the National Development Plan and the European Fisheries Fund is designed to enable coastal communities to develop bespoke projects and initiatives that will work locally and will deliver in terms of employment and revenue. To date, the programme has been a resounding success with BIM administering over €856,000 in grant-aid across the FLAG regions’
Oliver Kirwan, a retired fisherman and volunteer with the CDG explains; ‘We wanted to impart to people the rich heritage that is all around them. In essence, we wanted to preserve our colloquial names of locations around the village so they will continue to be used by future generations. For example ‘The Kippern’, is a Clogherhead term, used to refer to a smoke house where kippers were smoked. The new sign identifies where the village smoker used to be. Like other forms of intangible cultural heritage, oral traditions are threatened by rapid urbanisation, large-scale migration, industrialisation and environmental change. We want to inform visitors of the rich heritage even in a small village like Clogherhead. Finally, the welcome sign and overall map give a starting point which will outline the walks, with attractive wrought iron finger posts to guide them on their way to discover a wee bit Louth, that’s off the beaten track”.
