Members of The Corrs and Mary Wallopers among objectors to new housing development in Dundalk

MEMBERS OF THE Corrs and The Mary Wallopers are among those who have lodged objections to plans for a large-scale housing development near a landmark site in Louth which is said in Irish mythology to be the birthplace of Cú Chulainn. 

Grandspect Ltd applied last November for a ten-year planning permission to build 1,058 homes on an almost 39 hectare site close to Dún Dealgan, a national monument which Dundalk is named after. The plan would allow for 765 houses, 150 duplexes and 143 apartments. 

Dún Dealgan is an elevated site which is known locally as Cú Chulainn’s Castle.

A motte and bailey was first built on the site in the 12th century, and the existing structure of a single-tower castle is also known as Byrne’s Folly after the pirate who built it in 1780. 

The proposed development off the nearby Castletown Road and Mount Avenue includes four apartment buildings ranging in height from four to six storeys and plans for a heritage park on surrounding lands to the east of the castle.  

The planning application says the castle is a protected structure and is not within the application site and incorporates a standing stone, which is also a protected structure.

Louth County Council received 240 submissions about the planning application and a decision is due on Monday 22 July.

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Charles and Andrew Hendy of The Mary Wallopers, Jim and Andrea Corr of The Corrs, and musicians Zoe Conway, Gerry O’Connor and Jinx Lennon have made separate submissions, as have An Taisce, Uisce Eireann, the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society and the Old Dundalk Society.

The Mount Avenue Residents Association and a number of councillors who represent the Dundalk Municipal District have also made observations, while local photographer Nicola Bishop’s submission included a petition with 6,383 signatures.

Jim Corr said in his submission that he was ‘shocked and in utter disbelief this is even under consideration’ and added that he hoped that sense will prevail and that all and any notions of development around this area of extreme culture and national importance will be abandoned immediately and permanently.

His sister Andrea, who attended the St Louis Secondary School nearby, said Dún Dealgan is an irreplaceable part of Ireland’s archaeological, historical and mythological heritage. “Once the setting of this unique place is permanently changed, it cannot be restored,” she said in her submission. 

Louth County Council says it is precluded from commenting on any specifics of the application because it is an ongoing planning application. 

However, the local authority acknowledges that the castle and motte are important landmarks in the area and are an important element of Dundalk’s heritage.

It stresses that a buffer of 5.2 hectares around the castle has been identified as open space to protect its setting in the current land use zoning map for Dundalk, with an opportunity to develop a heritage park within this open space.

The council also noted that the lands on which the current application is located have been zoned for residential development in excess of 20 years.

It said ‘any potential impacts of the proposed development on the setting of the castle and motte will be fully considered in the assessment of the planning application’.