Claragh Bridge railing to be reinstated

The council hopes to have the original reconditioned iron railing belonging to Claragh Bridge near Tullyvin installed this week.

It follows an assessment by a qualified conservation architect and specialist repairer on the historic bridge. The review was undertaken after concerns were raised in August about the direction of planned restoration works on the structure.

Those works were halted briefly, with a decision then taken to remove the railings, while other repairs continued on the triple-span flat-backed structure that traverses the Dromore River.

It's understood that the Council's hopes of getting the railings mended were given a significant boost after the local authority received €30,000 built heritage funding under the July Jobs Stimulus Package 2020 from the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government.

Built in 1858, the distinctive bridge with its metal guardrails once formed part of the Clement's Estate of Ashfield close to Cootehill.

However, over the years, the bridge became overgrown and its railings heavily rusted, raising safety concerns. As a result, it was earmarked for refurbishment under the Council's 2020 €15.1 million roads programme.