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"Moville should do Full Monty"
28.11.08
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent
MOVILLE should be doing more to tap into the tourism
potential of its most famous son, General
Montgomery.
That’s according to the town’s county councillor,
Marian McDonald who was set to table a motion this
week's monthly meeting of Donegal County Council.
The motion called on the council to “consider a
cultural tourism project that would explore the
connections between General Montgomery of the
Alemain and Moville with a view to maximising
British and other tourist interest in this local
citizen". |
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The Fianna Fáil
councillor said she would like to see plans drawn up
to cash in on Moville’s links with the famous World
War II Allied commander. Proposals include
renovating New Park, the former home of the
Montgomery family, with a view to turning it into
Montgomery family heritage centre; having some sort
of plaque unveiled to highlight Moville’s Montgomery
links and/or a detailed tourist map with directions
to Montgomery family points of interest. |
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“Every summer I am
approached by English tourists looking for
directions to New Park. Most towns that you visit,
you see a billboard giving the history of the town,
but there is no great information relating to the
town of Moville.
“Certainly, there is information about the beauty
spots, but nothing in particular about the town
itself.
“If it were not for the Montgomery family there is
no telling what Moville would look like today. There
is not another town in Ireland with a walkway or
recreational ground to equal our green, which was
given to the people of Moville by the Montgomery
family.
“There is a row of beautiful houses on the shore
front called Montgomery Terrace which were built in
1884, but there is no street sign.”
Council Marian McDonald is seeking support from her
fellow Inishowen councillors for the Montgomery
tourism project.
The Montgomery family association with Moville spans
five generations from the early 1700s to the middle
of the last century. The Field Marshall’s mother
Maud, and father, Henry, are buried at the town’s
Church of Ireland graveyard.
Local tour guide Anna Connolly, an expert on the
Montgomery family, said Cllr. McDonald’s motion was
an excellent idea.
“The Montgomery family practically built Moville,”
said Anna, who sounded a note of caution that it may
be difficult collect enough memorabilia for a
heritage centre.
Cllr. McDonald added, “I know that some people frown
at the mere mention of the name but I think it’s
only fitting that we have some sort of memento to
the family that left so many legacies to the people
of Moville. It would be a great tourist attraction
especially for our neighbours across the water and
now that we are in the process of building bridges,
what better gesture could we make?” |
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