The site where Michael Collins was killed by Anti-Treaty Forces on August 22, 1922 will be upgraded with a series of improvements ahead of the 1916 Rising centennial next year, the Cork County Council has announced.

Conor Nelligan, the Cork County Council’s heritage officer, said that the extent of the improvements to the Béal na Bláth site will depend on funding, but for now it looks as though the upgrades include will new landscaping, interpretive boards, and road improvements, including a realignment of the road, which will provide extra safety and additional parking opportunities. 

Nelligan told the Irish Examiner that there were no current plans to build a visitor center on the site, especially as the council is preparing to open a museum honoring Collins in Clonakilty sometime next year.

As part of the 1916 centenary commemorations organized by the council, a new play about Collins, with the working title The Big Fella, will be launched by GDI Productions.

Two miles from Béal na Bláth, locals in Kilmurry are planning several events for next year’s commemorations including a museum that will open officially on Easter Sunday. The museum will have a strong focus on the War of Independence and will feature artifacts connected to Béal na Bláth and the Kilmichael ambush.

The Kilmurry Historical and Archaeological Association is planning to provide tours of the area’s War of Independence and Civil War sites, and together with the Ballinhassig Historical Society, carry out a reenactment of a Volunteer march through the village. Both events are scheduled for March 27.