Ambitious project wants to build a scale model of the village of Enniskerry in the grounds of the Powerscourt Estate.
Under the auspices of the National Children's Day Association, the Enniskerry Children's Model Village Committee have devised a project to create a miniature scale model of the existing Enniskerry village on a site in the nearby Powerscourt Demesne in County Wicklow.
The model village will be on a scale of 1:9 and exact to the last detail of the real village.
The plan actually provides for using the exact materials in the different buildings and other local geographical features. It proposes 420 square yards of tarmacadam and 680 square yards of miniature kerb stones. The cost for the project is estimated to be in the region of £500,000.
The idea has come from Dublin businessman Reg Shatwell who is a member of the projects sub-committee of the National Children's Day organisation. The model village plan is being promoted exclusively as a children's project.
Ours is a non commercial enterprise, it's purely for kiddies and all the proceeds go to kiddies after the maintenance charges.
The proposed model village will cover an area of 1.5 acres in the picturesque Powerscourt Estate. The model will include the ten or so major buildings in Enniskerry, including the two churches and the hotel. Money for the project will hopefully come from businesses and firms each sponsoring a building in the model village.
Enniskerry Mark II will probably open its doors in two years time.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 April 1978. The reporter is Colm Connolly.
