People enjoying the River Nore Linear Park at Talbot's Inch may have noticed that remnants of the old Talbot's Inch Suspension Bridge have been exposed whilst Kilkenny County Council has undertaken maintenance works along this popular amenity.

The Talbot's Inch Suspension Bridge was built by Lady Desart in 1906 to enable mill workers to cross the River Nore, from their residences in Talbot's Inch to the mills on the opposite side of the River. The Bridge stood until it was destroyed by the Great Flood in 1947. The recent maintenance works have revealed the remnants of the concrete ramp leading upto the Bridge, the steel column supports for the bridge and the suspension cables from which the bridge deck was hung.

Kilkenny County Council recently appointed Canice Architects, a new architectural consultancy firm located on The Parade, to develop interpretation proposals for this significant heritage point of interest. The interpretation will include a new defined landscape area around the old Bridge, together with an interpretation panel summarising a brief history of the bridge and an etching of the old bridge itself. Additionally the water level for the 1947 flood will be marked on the interpretation panel.

Pictured at the launch of the interpretation design is:

LtoR: Fred Morton (Assistant Town Foreman) Simon Walton (Senior City Engineer), Mayor Peter 'Chap' Cleere, Declan Murphy (Area Engineer) and Paddy Kavanagh (Assistant Foreman).

Mayor Cleere stated that he 'was delighted to see that Kilkenny County Council was following through on its motto to preserve heritage. I'm also delighted to see that three local firms, Canice Architects, CDS Metalwork and Gus Mabelson Ceramics have been engaged to support Kilkenny County Council with this very worthwhile project. Incrementally, small, local projects such as this collectively make a huge contribution to local quality of life.'

Commenting on the proposals Simon Walton noted that ' When we walk along the River Nore Linear Park there is such an abundance of history and heritage all around us. I feel it is very important that we communicate and interpret that history and heritage. In this instance, taking account of Lady Desart's contribution to this City, it is indeed appropriate.'