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THE COTTAGE THAT featured in the The Quiet Man may soon be added to the list of protected structure.
The cottage in Maam, Connemara which was made famous by the 1952 film starring Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne has fallen into ruin in recent years.
A tree is growing in the middle of it and stones are being taken from it by tourists.
However, groups such as the White O’Morn Foundation and Save the Quiet Man Cottage have campaigned tirelessly to ensure it’s not demolished.
Later this month a list of public buildings seeking to be added to the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) will be published and the public will have six weeks to make submissions.
Former Galway Mayor and current Galway County Councillor Thomas Welby said this will be advertised in the local paper. It’s understood the nearby Quiet Man Bridge will also be included.
The list will then be presented to relevant Government bodies before a vote is held by Galway County Council.
White O’Morn recently posted on its Facebook page:
Hopefully, Sean and Mary Kate’s ‘wee humble cottage’ is finally going to get the chance it so richly deserves.
Here’s the original trailer of the film, where it’s described as ‘a wonderful picture’:
The Quiet Man cottage is currently owned by an American man.
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Surprised that it was left in ruin (rubble) should have been kept intact for a tourist attraction .
That would be the sensible thing to do but this is Ireland.
Spot on there Bond. The Mayo village of Cong is thriving at the moment having nurtured and developed a wonderful tourist attraction around the Quiet Man legacy. Of course, if Galway County Council have anything to do with the ruined cottage it would explain a lot. Well done the redidents and businesses of Cong and Mayo County Council.
Was thinking the exact same , its sad looking at it like that .it should have been preserved from day one .
@ Glen. I heard it was offered to the Irish government( if im not mistaken) at the end of filming but they declined.
Glen , spot on there
Cong is in County Galway
Tá Conga i gContae Mhaigh Eo. Nach raibh tú riamh ann?
@von I think that may have been the set for Ryan’s daughter near Dingle which deliberately destroyed because of a series of disagreements over land.
Dave Hannon – the village of Cong is in Mayo, as are the gates of Ashford Castle. Ashford Castle itself is in Galway.
The reason why it was left to ruin was because nobody was prepated to pay for it’s upkeep. How can it be regarded as stealing when in fact it is not a national monument, if someone wants a piece of stone as a keepsake then good luck to them I say and what is the problem. Remember the Berlin Wall and souvenir hunters looking for a piece of the wall even helped the authorities there to demolish it. As children we used to go ro the beech and collect pebbles and sea shells…was that stealing too?
HW there is a big difference between ‘should have been’ and ‘could have been’, the fact is that it was let go to ruin probably because the land owner didn’t want tourists there in the first place.
It’s still not to late to restore it. But you know these preservation groups they would a rather pile of stones and reminisce about what was. Than actually do anything constructive. Like restoration!
The house is owned by an American man. So it IS stealing. Not the same as seashells
Alan, there are thousands of old house ruins just like this scattered around the country and nobody cares. So what is so special about this one other than it was part of a film set and like all fictional stories it belongs in peoples imagination and nothing more. If the owner is happy enought to see it as a ruin then whyj worry about it.
Tá Ashford Castle i gContae Mhuigh Eo. Sin An seoladh a úsáideann siad. Tá cuid beag di Loch Coiribe i g Contae Mhuigh Eo. Breathnaigh ar léarscáil. : )
There’s a construction company up north that makes production sets for Game of Thrones, real amazing stuff, looks like real stone – they could fly down a replica cottage and drop it in place for a fraction the cost of a rebuild – lasts forever too! Just an idea…
But that’s a good idea
Good ideas don’t happen in Ireland
I could be wrong..but wasn’t the village built for Ryan’s Daughter offered to the local council..refused..and demolished..that would have been some tourist attraction
You would wonder why the American man bought the cottage if he had no intention of maintaining it. If he’s short on funds surely there is potential for a ‘Culture Loan’ from the government – It would be a massive tourism attraction so they would get the money back. Would be great to see it restored to the way it was in the film.
Everyone should visit Cong and Ashford Castle..Mayo/Galway too beautiful counties
Just like the majority of the beautiful castles in the country, let go to ruin too. Even the village from Ryans daughter had to be demolished after disputes between locals over who owned it. Should definitely be restored. The cost would be nothing compared to the tourists it would bring in. Charge a fiver at the threshold.
1. QuietMan Cottage Teo.
2. JobBridge
3. Visitquietmancottage.com
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