When a campaign was initiated just over a year ago to restore and find new uses for the Handball Alley at Millmount they asked the award winning Drogheda company, McKevitt King Architects, for some ideas.
Not in their wildest dreams could the campaigners have dreamt of the exciting plans the Drogheda architects would come up with.
“The campaign to restore the Handball Alley in Millmount has entered the second stage with the architectural design provided by James McKevitt of McKevitt King Architects in Drogheda” said Councillor Pio Smith.
“The concept provides for dual use that is a public space that can be used for concerts, public gatherings etc and handball.”
“I believe that it’s important to promote the game of handball in the town given the significance of the sport and the fact that we had a world champion in Joey Maher.
“Getting the handball alley back up and running and hopefully linking in with handball clubs in Northern Ireland will possibly open up funding streams that could be tapped into to fund the redevelopment of the site.
“Another important aspect of the design is the possibility of using the space as a public forum. The view of the town from the terrace would be fantastic and it would be a great venue for open air concerts in the summertime.
“This would add to Drogheda’s attraction as Failte Ireland has made Drogheda a designated tourist destination town.
“So, developing the handball alley would be a fantastic addition to both the preservation of our heritage and enhancing our tourist potential. Credit must go to McKevitt King Architects who developed the design for free.
“Every idea begins with a vision of what someone or something has the potential to become. Millmount Handball Alley, with the kind assistance of McKevitt-King Architects, and a seed planted within John ‘Kellogg’s’ Kelly now has the potential to bloom and become a reality.”
Councillor Smith is to bring the designs to Louth County Council and is hopeful of having them accepted for funding under the Peace Plus Plan.
