‘Quiet Man’ cottage needs State protection

Galway County Council will be formally reviewing a submission to include the Quiet Man cottage to the Record of Protected Structures to prevent it falling into further disrepair.

An international campaign has been instrumental in bringing the worsening condition of the original cottage used in the filming of John Ford’s iconic movie, The Quiet Man, to the local authority, which is now studying an Architectural Heritage Appraisal carried out on the ruin and the surrounding site.

The cottage, located in Tiernakill South near Maam, is owned by Canadian Gregory Ebbitt, and has gradually fallen into a ruin, much to the dismay of members of the White O’Morn members around the world (mostly in North America) who would like to see it restored to its former glory.

In fact it is that group, which has collected funds through their Facebook campaign, that has commissioned the Appraisal and which has been circulated to county councillors from the Connemara area ahead of the next full meeting of the Council in September.

Patrick McCormack, a member of the White O’Morn campaign and now living in Toronto, Canada, said he hoped the Appraisal would spur the Council into moving to add the cottage to the Record of Protected Structures to ensure it is not demolished.

“This is about ensuring that the cottage doesn’t fall into further ruin. It is about protecting the cottage and though adding the cottage and the site to the RPS wouldn’t be the final solution, it would be an important and tangible first step forward. In fact doing this would be the first positive and substantive step in more than 60 years.

“This represents a real opportunity for Galway County Council – to make a difference and turn things around for the iconic cottage (which should really be a jewel in Connemara’s tourism crown), help halt its decline and save it from disappearing forever.

“With no cost to the taxpayer, why would the Council not want to legally protect what SHOULD – and could – be a valuable tourist asset for both the local community and for Connemara?”

Many visitors look for the cottage featured in The Quiet Man film which starred John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and many believe that it should be protected and restored as a tourist attraction.

He said that some recent reports claim that the 1950s derelict bungalow situated next to the cottage would have to be retained if TQM cottage were added to the RPS and that the ruin would have to be kept as just that – a ruin – if TQM cottage were added to the RPS. Neither are accurate – or true, he stressed.

The RIAI Conservation Architect, Grade I, who prepared the Architectural Heritage Appraisal, has read these reports and confirmed that they contain both inaccurate and misleading information – which is presented as being ‘fact’. The Conservation Architect has, professionally, confirmed the reality: that the derelict bungalow can and should be removed, that adding the cottage to the RPS would not limit it being authentically restored at a later date.

Two of the Connemara councillors, Seán Ó Tuairisg and Tom Healy, are apparently supporting the request which is expected to be before the full Council on September 22.

The campaign to date has over 8,500 signatures.