Where We Are

• Proximity of Riverstown to Sligo Town, some 15 miles away approximately to the North.
• Ballymote is approximately 7 miles away to the South West.
• The Sligo/Dublin National Primary Route — N4 is approximately 2 miles in a westerly direction of the village.
• Riverstown can be accessed from the N4 from the West and the R284 Sligo-Ballyfarnon Route to the East of the village, by a series of Third Class Roads.
• Lough Meharth lies to the South East of the village, a short distance away.
• The nearest railway stations are located in Ballymote and Collooney.

Brief History on the Development of Riverstown

Well within living memory and even at times of at least as great if not greater nation­wide recession Riverstown had been economically and socially vibrant. In the past forty years Riverstown entered a period of decline with the closing of many shops and services, the creamery was downgraded to a collection station coupled with the closure of the two long established hardware stores were examples of the decline, and the traditional service disappeared.

The advancement of cattle marts at Ballymote and other towns necessitated the cessation of the village fairs and gradually the significance of the village to its immediate hinterland was eroded.

Based on the 1991 Census of Population the overall deprivation score for the Electoral District is 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most disadvantaged). The village has an attractive layout and recent voluntary efforts by the local community with very limited resources have resulted in a significant improvement of the village’s appearance. Yet much remains to be done in improving the physical environment of the village. The decline in the traditional employment sector has left an economic vacuum in the village and the local development association has spent a long period in planning measures for the revival of the local economy.

Socially in the late 1960’s Organisations such as the Tidy Towns transformed the face of the village to such and extent that the regional award was won four times consecutively. There has been an active community spirit evident in all aspects of village life. Economic decline with its inevitable migration and emigration brought this chapter to a close by the mid 1970’s.

Population

Riverstown is like many other towns in the North West region faced with a continuing depopulation. Even though the figures as stated below do not seem as dramatic, it is evident that in most recent surveys it was found that some people – and the younger generation in particular – only use their home in Riverstown as their secondary residence.

It also has to be noted that Riverstown has recently benefited from new housing developments as well as neighbouring Collooney and Ballisadare.

Education

There are three National Schools serving the Riverstown Area, two are in the village and the third is Coolbock N.S. For their Secondary School Level education students usually attend Coolla Post Primary School or they may travel to either Ballymote or Sligo Town.

Fund-Raising – Events by the People of Riverstown towards the Project

Vintage Day held each year in month of June (Main Fund-Raising Event)
Craft Fairs
Birthday Cakes Event
Beat on Peat In New York
Folk Night (Southern Hotel, Sligo)
Night in Southern
Bazaars
Pig Race
Duck Races
Fashion Shows
Live Broadcasts with M&NWR
A Night in the Cottage
Race Nights
Concerts and Comedy Shows
Live Music Sessions
American Wake

Rural Development

The Riverstown Enterprise Development company is a community led development organisation which has been in operation since 1990. The core aim of the company is to ‘engage in and promote the development, management and marketing of the total resources of the Riverstown region in the county of Sligo by means of an integrated programme in co-operation with all relevant statutory and other bodies and to maximise these resources for the social, economic and cultural betterment of the community’.

Riverstown Enterprise Development (Sligo) Ltd is the end product of a decision by a group of interested individuals to come together and transform the entire locality socially, culturally and economically. A Development plan was drawn up and since then things have happened at a most satisfactory pace. The company has been the main sponsor and promoter of a number of community led developments. The initial task undertaken by the company was the research and compilation of a local area action plan which identified development needs in the Riverstown area and set out an action strategy to meet these needs. In 1993 through financial assistance provided by the Sligo County Enterprise Fund, the company purchased the six acre site and farmhouse/yard, now known locally as Millview House. The Riverstown Group put in place a range of FAS training schemes and programmes to assist with the Millview site development and proposals for large contributions in the form of grant aid assistance from Interreg, the County Sligo Leader Board, the International Fund for Ireland, Peace and Reconciliation, the County Enterprise Board, County Enterprise Fund, the County Council and the local Community.

The company group agreed that a project to advance the historical, heritage agrarian theme proposed for the development of the Millview House/site, the company set in place an overall plan to develop a combined Agricultural Museum and Rural Heritage park specific only to the Riverstown area. The proposed core activity to be housed in this Museum and Park facility includes the live craftwork and vintage farming practices of Irish traditional life and live exhibits of same, commemorative working exhibits in remembrance of inventions, the famine, the farming co-operative movement and the museum display of restored artefacts, farm machinery and implements. Through the work of the Community Response Schemes, a number of agricultural implements, machinery and artefacts were collected from around the country. These were in turn restored to working and exhibit standard and will be housed in the museum facility.

The Historical Research Schemes provided significant research skills training to a number of trainees, who in turn applied this expertise in undertaking historical archival research, data compilation and the display of the Riverstown heritage and agricultural tradition. The company have organised an annual Vintage Day, the success of which is reflected in the levels of community participation which this has generated, in addition to the attendance of over 10,000 people at the event each year, thereby highlighting the particular need to now provide a more permanent basis of Museum and Heritage Park facility display for the wealth of agricultural tradition and heritage so well regenerated by the group and the wider Riverstown community.

The Riverstown area is a unique destination of agricultural tradition and the group as a company experienced and skilled in community based agri-tourism led development. The company have been involved in overseas marketing campaigns where the group sponsored the transfer of its restored renovated agricultural artefacts to an Irish­American event (the beat on the peat) in Yonkers Raceway, New York, while also participating in other Vintage events hosted around the country such as the Cooley Vintage Show and the Beat on the Peat in Lisdoonvarna, as well as their attendance at the Brookeborough Vintage Festival. These events are of particular interest to the Irish farming tradition and therefore, captive to a wide audience.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To promote economic and social culture development in the parish of Riverstown and adjacent areas.

Target Market

This project will target 4 main segments, which comprise of the following;

Local Market – These will be repeat users which will be of particular significance and

Regional Tourism Demand – These tourist will cover people from within and around Co. Sligo who will come and visit the Centre for perhaps up to half a day, and who are interested in the rural image of Ireland.

Schools Market – This sector will cover School tours. The historical exhibits will be relevant to the education system which forms part of the Geography of Ireland in the School curriculum. This sector will be important early in the season .

Enthusiasts – This will cover only a small but important segment with which the depth and range of the exhibit will attract them.