Save the Quiet Man Cottage

Quote from chester7777

I think that's the key thing. Mr. Ebbitt indicated to me that he has been approached with offers to buy the property from him over the years, but he doesn't want to sell it. He's not interested in leasing the land. He absolutely wants to retain ownership, but he also absolutely loves the movie and what that property represents, and would very much like to see the cottage restored. He has carefully researched many aspects of accurate restoration, down to the quarry where the original stones came from. I believe he wants to be very involved in the process of restoration, though he is not in a position financially at this time to do it himself. I also think he does not want to be 'bulldozed' by others regarding HIS property.

I don't know how recent any contacts with him have been, but to read the current articles, you would think he is stonewalling everyone. I suspect the approaches to him may have been adversarial at this point and, like most of us, he doesn't care for that. Can't say I blame him!

Chester

It's beginning to sound as if both sides want the same thing, the restoration of the cottage, but for different reasons. It sounds as if Mr. Ebbitt wants the cottage restored because he loves it, and it sounds as if the government wants the cottage restored because it will bring in tourism dollars. The question may then be, who will benefit financially from the restoration, and more importantly, who will be in charge of the cottage once it is restored? In other words, who will be calling the shots and making the decision as to how the cottage will be presented, how it will be handled, what kind of access tourists and other visitors will have, and who will manage it. Although I don't know for sure, but I would suspect the government would want Mr. Ebbitt to hand over all management of the cottage to them, and I suspect he does not want to do that.

Good conversation gentlemen.

As anyone of you have tried to get some construction work done 100 miles away, two states away or on the opposite coast can attest, it can be a bit tedious dealing with contractors. Add in an ocean, another nation and cultural differences and I can imagine the possible frustration. In the corporate world I have been in the same room as someone and been ready to lunge across the table at people displaying their active disinterest in a project on which they assigned and were allegedly working. LOL

Has anyone read Peter Mayles book 'A year in Provence' ? In it, he details, among other things, his efforts at buying and restoring a small farmhouse in Provence and recounts dealing with local masons and repair folks. Ah, but Ireland is not France, you might say. True, its not.

I would not, however, under-estimate how much the pride of the locals figures in here. It probably chafes them that after all this, an American owns the cottage and wants to tell them what to do with it. In many ways "Quiet Man" was as much about Ireland and Irish culture as it was about the American John Wayne. In fact, the two cultures good-naturedly bouncing off each other is woven through-out. I can see that it represents an Irish point of pride, despite the fact that no one stepped up to buy the cottage but Mr Ebbitt. If you squint a little, and change the movie script, it could be about an American who buys a cottage and attempts to get it fixed up and the "help" he gets along the way.

And I don't think I'm talking out of school to say that the famed Irish stubbornness is not Urban Legend, I have first-hand exposure to that fiery trait. My wifes father was born in Ireland, as was my grandmother. My mother was born in Scotland, so I admit perhaps just a wee bit of stubbornness myself. My wife, in fact is in Dublin as we speak on a business trip - sadly not much time to tour, although she did get to visit her fathers hometown of Rathnagrew.

I think that interests and differences aside, one very real issue is the fact that Mr Ebbitt does not live nearby or apparently have a local representative that can oversee the restoration and later on, the management of the property. My opinion is that needs to be addressed to achieve the restoration- regardless of ownership, and absolutely needs to be in place to operate the completed project. Even if it remains totally private and not open to tour, etc. even a hearty structure will need maintenance and looking after.

I do not see how this effort will be successful without strong local support and involvement. Its not going to take a message board, or a Facebook group, but people talking and working face-to-face with people to get things done. I'm certainly not being critical of Mr Ebbitt as he has taken more action than anyone else to secure the cottage property. But whats needed is a real course of action to put together an implementable plan given the circumstances.

• What is the goal and how will we determine when we have met it?
• Who are the stakeholders and what are their priorities ?
• How do we build a detailed plan ?
• What skills/ resources do I need ?
• What are the risks and issues that need tending ?
• What funding is required and when ?
• How long will it take ?
• How will we manage the effort ?
• etc.

Good point Grumpy and thanks for your continued input in this conversation.
You made many good point, including this one

Quote

I can see that it represents an Irish point of pride, despite the fact that no one stepped up to buy the cottage but Mr Ebbitt.

How strange now, that no one did when they had the chance,
after all they had up to some 50 odd years to do so, before Mr. Ebbit!!
So why they so keen now, money, and what the cottage can bring them???

Quote from ethanedwards

Good point Grumpy and thanks for your continued input in this conversation.
You made many good point, including this one

How strange now, that no one did when they had the chance,
after all they had up to some 50 odd years to do so, before Mr. Ebbit!!
So why they so keen now, money, and what the cottage can bring them???

I read another article today (unfortunately, I did not think to bookmark it! Now I have to find it again!), and in that article there was a quote from an Irish government official. In that quote, the official was saying something about the cottage is in Ireland, and therefore should be owned be a citizen of Ireland, someone who lives there, and not an American. I believe there was also talk about trying to find a way to simply take ownership of the cottage ruins. It will be very interesting to see where this all leads.

Quote from chester7777

Very interesting indeed!
I've sent five Emails to Mr.Ebbitt in the last 4 days, sharing with him the various news articles where they are basically bragging on how they plan on stealing his property out from under him. Hopefully he can stop it.

Good on you Jim.
Imagine if for gain, or whatever reason,
our government's took away all the homes owned by
foreigners, say in Florida, or here in London etc..!!

Quote from ethanedwards

Good on you Jim.
Imagine if for gain, or whatever reason,
our government's took away all the homes owned by
foreigners, say in Florida, or here in London etc..!!

Give 'em time, Keith, give 'em time.

Oh, absolutely the sharks are circling. The rhetoric is escalating into quite a nasty tone, all of which appears to steadfastly avoid the apparent complete disinterest during the decades during which the property decayed prior to Mr Ebbitts purchase. Next, I expect to hear stories of an angry mob carrying torches storming up the path leading towards the castle. <Oops, wrong movie...or is it ?>

It may well be that under Irish law they can lay claim to the property and thus obtain it "without cost", but I guarantee they will not be able to restore it for free, nor manage, promote and operate it for free, nor do the ongoing maintenance for free.

Someone is going to have to find or raise a significant amount of money to power this effort, and then a lot of hard work will need to be done over a good chunk of time.

Mobs will be hard to find when these two items need to be handled !

the save the quite man cottage is on,they are holding a funraising event in 2 months time and they hope to raise 4 million euros for the entire project.they hope to have it done in 2015

Well, wish them all the luck.

Sounds good, i'd look to get a trip down there when it's all sorted. My grandfather said it was great in it's heyday

http://www.irishcentral.com/ne…d---VIDEOS-167012435.html

Our own efforts to Save the cottage
White O'Morn Foundation USA
Have been nothing but hard work,
and the current situation, makes it look
as if those efforts, may well come to nothing!!

Well, that is too bad. But, not surprising. Hope things work better and a turn around is accomplished. Know all about hard work not being fruitful...it is very disheartening. Keith

Here is a beautifully done and quite thorough presentations of The Quiet Man by Mark, one of the members of Save the Quiet Man Cottage. Must have taken him forever...but well worth it.

Have tried everything to get this where you can click on it...so just copy and paste it into YOUTUBE. It is worth it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPbtnD-qcJo&feature=youtu.be

Keith, and thanks again to Mark!