Minister Ring to open Newport playground and Turlough village enhancements 

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, will today unveil two important community projects which have been supported through his department.

At 1 p.m., Minister Ring will officially open a playground in Newport which has been completely overhauled after receiving funding of more than €74,000 through the LEADER Programme.

At 3.30 p.m., the minister will officially open phase one of Turlough Community Enhancement Project which has been completed with the assistance of €100,000 funding received through the 2017 Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

Speaking in relation to the Newport event, Minister Ring said: “This playground is a fabulous all-inclusive amenity that will no doubt be enjoyed by local families for many years to come.

“With funding of just under €75,000 through my department and collaboration between Newport and District Development Company, Mayo LCDC and the South West Mayo Development Company, the Newport community have demonstrated the magnificent results that can be achieved with hard work and community spirit.”

Speaking in relation to the Turlough event, Minister Ring said: “I was delighted in 2017 to be able to allocate €100,000 from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme to fund Phase One of the Turlough Community Enhancement project. It is wonderful to see how investments such as this can make such a difference to a village.

“Projects in Mayo have received funding of almost €3 million under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme since it was launched in 2016 and this has made an immeasurable difference to the lives of people in this county."

Phase one of the Turlough project involved the construction of a number of traffic calming measures to address safety concerns, a reflection of the increasing number of young families in the area.

A new footpath and cycle lane have been installed, as well as safety bollards, a pedestrian crossing, the refurbishment of all lamp posts and the erection of new signage.

Minister Ring concluded: “All of this work has been undertaken with the vision of connecting the village to the Museum of Country Life, the Great Western Greenway and the recently opened CLÁR funded playground. Phase one of the project is now complete.”