Fort Eliza, situated on the banks of the Shannon in Banagher, Co Offaly, might not look like much today – but in the 1800s it was a key part of Britain’s strategy to repel Napoleon.
Now, the 200-year-old structure is due a facelift – costing upwards of €70,000.
Waterways Ireland, the all-island body responsible for looking after all things aqua, has hired an architect for conservation works costing a “minimum” of €70,500, a spokesperson told the Irish Mirror.
The structure - once built for battle, with gun loops and a drawbridge - is set for repairs to its battery and will have conservation works carried out on its entrance.
The cost of the works is being split between Waterways Ireland and the government - with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht set to plough a cool €30,000 into the upkeep of the historic site.
The rest is being fronted up by Waterways, according to the spokesperson, with a top architect already engaged to make sure the works are carried out to the “highest standards”.
It’s being carried out as part of Waterways Ireland’s Heritage Plan, which vows to manage heritage sites as part of the management of Ireland’s waterways.
Fort Eliza has a backstory all of its own: it was built by a British Government fearful of attack from French forces in the early 1800s.
It was built as one of a glut of constructions by the British as Napoleon’s troops ran riot across Europe in the early 1800s.
The plan for the fort was to ward off the enemy as it approached from Connacht, though in the end Napoleon’s forces never made it that far.
Nevertheless, the monument stands - albeit in a slightly dilapidated state - until this day, and with tens of thousands being spent on its conservation, who’s to say it won’t be around for another two centuries?
