The sun shone down in Skibbereen last week as Minister of State Jerry Buttimer visited the town on a walkabout, ultimately gathering with members of the local historical society, other politicians, and members of Cork County Council at the Old Steam Mill on Ilen Street, just across the road from The Southern Star office.
The visit came as the Council confirmed they’ve made an application for funding for a feasibility study and design of the Mill, which is in their ownership.
The building is iconic and synonymous with the story of the famine in Skibbereen.
Built in the 1840s, it was the location of a desperately needed soup kitchen in 1846.
A few years later the building, ‘Marmion’s Store’, was listed as an auxiliary workhouse for the victims of that black period.
The interior of the Old Steam Mill building.
Speaking with Deputy Buttimer on Thursday, Terri Kearney brought the significance of the building to life in her inimitable style, reminding those gathered that ‘we owe it to them’ (the victims) to honour their memory, as ‘we’re standing, where they crawled’.
The Council owns and operates the adjacent Heritage Centre, managed by Terri.
The Heritage Centre hosted 16,400 visitors in 2024, although the space is limited to one room, but those visitor numbers could be grown even further by the refurbishment of the Mill and by moving the exhibition into that much larger space.
The funding application, to Deputy Buttimer’s department, was made in March, and the project has also been endorsed by Fáilte Ireland.
Minister for State Jerry Buttimer with Terri Kearney of Skibbereen Heritage Centre, where Terri outlined the huge significance of the building. (Photo: Anne Minihane)
As well as creating more physical space, the Council say a successful application would allow for a ‘more interactive experience relating to the Famine’, a space for famine-related themed art, and the potential for an international forum centre.
It would also allow them to address the safety issues with accessing the Abbeystrewry graveyard, ‘and develop a stronger themed walking tour of Skibbereen.’
If the funding application is successful, work will then begin on the feasibility study, detailed design and planning stages of the project, which is estimated to take two years.
