Charleville Castle In Restoration, Needs Help

The key to any restoration project is sustainability. The restoration work can be designed to achieve the highest standards of sustainability. But sustainability depends critically on long- term use and purpose. Dudley believes that lessons are to be found in the history of the castle that are important for the future - "The radical changes navigated by this castle over time are embedded in the memory and fabric of the building."

Under Dudley, the castle has been dedicated to the global issue of sustainable development. - "Sustainable development has less to do with traditional green issues than it has to do with the development of the leadership skills and motivation of our young people to engage the issue constructively. The critical factor is interdependence - interdependence on a global scale." Charleville Castle is dedicated to learning with a core focus on the development of inter-disciplinary, inter-cultural, and international teamwork and leadership know-how and skills, based on action-learning. The team at the castle is challenging other colleges and universities to join in the quest to develop new programs directed at these critical challenges.

In the early 1970s, Dudley won his first scholarship to improve his engineering skills in some of the top Engineering Schools in France. From there he was dropped into a leadership position in a disastrous famine situation in Bangladesh in the mid-1970's issues. Projects ranged from autonomous farm and irrigation co-operative development to large scale "food for work" flood control barrage constructions and appropriate technology development and training.

By 1977 Dudley was leading a high-tech alternative energy company producing a range of new windpower technologies, paving the way for current large-scale developments. In the early 1980's he served as the Windpower Advisor to Shell international where he set in train many new initiatives which have, in recent years, come into their own.

The mid-1980's saw Dudley as Regional Project Director for AppropriateTechnology and Economic Regeneration for Unicef East Africa, which included difficult challenges in Madagascar, Comores, Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Mozambique. Back from Africa, in the late-80's, to economic regeneration efforts in Dublin and the switch of emphasis to internationalism and knowledge enterprise. After an exciting time, initiating new regeneration projects in Dublin (and Central Europe) Dudley decided to put this experience, together with that of his colleagues, to use in the advancement of a new educational and developmental model at Charleville Castle.

In all this time, great changes have taken place in terms of global priorities - what we know, how we learn and what we can achieve. But the challenge of sustainability has become greater. In a World, which is increasingly driven by commercial prerogatives, our challenge is to redirect attention to the basic issue of sustainability and the central issue of interdependence. This is the core mission of the Quest Team at Charleville Castle.

Presently the Charleville Castle needs the help of concerned people to save the castle. There is a serious threat to the Castle.

Offaly County Council announced recently that the Tullamore Bypass will go ahead and will cut through the centre of the Desmesne, splitting it in half. Three major roundabouts will be built in front of the castle with massive lighting towers operating all night. The original "Mucklagh" gate will be destroyed. The announcement states that the road is now moving to CPO status.

Other ways you can help...

Donations of monies, materials or labour are needed and appreciated. You can stay at the Castle and work over the summer months in exchange for labour and hours on any of several ongoing projects.

You may create an endowment or corporate sponsorship of a room, or a project. We will provide you with a charity/tax-exempt gift receipt for accounting purposes. We will also advertise your name or company's name as the sponsor of that particular project or renovation.

Please send donations to www.charlevillecastle.com/ at Charleville Castle Project

Quest College
Roll No. 42238U
Charleville Castle Heritage Trust
Charleville Castle
Tullamore
Co. Offaly
Ireland E.U.

Charleville Castle is located in the centre of Ireland, bordering the town of Tullamore, near the Shannon River. The castle is situated in Ireland’s most ancient primordial oak woods, once the haunting grounds of Ireland’s druids. In the sixth century it was part of the ancient monastic site of Lynally, which itself was in the ancient Durrow monastic settlement.

Source: Reported by Charleville Castle