A modern building, showcasing Carlow county's rich past is on the way with recent news of a planned project to construct a new Carlow County Museum.

Last month, Carlow Town Council appointed Bam Building Ltd of Kill, Co Kildare as the main contractor on the project.

The council said that the museum will help cater for the cultural and educational needs of the community and provide a much-needed indoor heritage tourism amenity for the county.

The new development also involves the restoration of the former Presentation Convent on College Street.

The museum already contains a growing collection of over 5,000 artefacts and is a good representative collection of the county, containing many interesting objects, some of which are of national and international importance.

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Carlow County Museum is being developed in association with the Carlow Historical and Archaeological Society.

Significantly, when the museum reopens, archaeological artefacts found in County Carlow can finally be displayed in the county.

The overall contractor to construct the new facility will run to €1.1 million.

Speaking in the town hall at the contract signing, Cathaoirleach of Carlow Town Council Cllr Des Hurley welcomed the development: "The building is in a prime town centre location and is part of a complex that already houses the county library, archive and the tourist office," he said, noting that the majority of the project is being funded by Carlow Town Council, with some assistance from the Heritage Council.

The museum construction design team includes Ivor Bowe, Bowe Consulting Engineers, Andy Quinn of McCullagh Lupton Quinn quantity surveyors, Eddie Doyle of Doyle Environmental and representing the town council are Joe Watters, Town Clerk, Tim Madden, Clerk of Works and Dermot Mulligan, Museum Curator.

The museum will be opened in the former Presentation Convent in mid-2011, which is also the 200th anniversary of the Order's arrival to Carlow town.

(BMcC/GK)