Almost four years after it was inaugurated as a memorial to Irishmen who fell in the first World War, the Peace Park at Messines in Belgium has been thoroughly upgraded and reshaped.
The Minister of State for Finance, Mr Martin Cullen, visited the site yesterday and expressed satisfaction at the work carried out by the Office of Public Works.
"We can clearly see that we not only have a monument but we have a peace park that can stand comparison with any similar such place of reflection," Mr Cullen said.
The refurbishment work, which will cost more than €320,000, began last October and will be completed in June. It involves a complete re-landscaping of the park, the introduction of a number of new plaques providing information about the site and the opening of the memorial tower to the public.
The memorial, which was the idea of the former TD, Mr Paddy Harte, and the former loyalist politician, Mr Glenn Barr, has been dogged by controversy since its inauguration.
Critics complained the site had been neglected and an initial attempt to landscape the park failed because of a severe winter.
Mr Harte and Mr Barr quarrelled and the trust that had raised the funds to build the memorial found itself unable to guarantee the site's upkeep.
At Mr Cullen's urging, the Taoiseach agreed two years ago that the Office of Public Works should take charge of upgrading the memorial and take responsibility for its maintenance in perpetuity.
"In terms of representing Ireland abroad, it's important that we do these things properly," Mr Cullen said.
The main contractors for the project, Stone Developments Ltd, have repaired the roof of the round tower that forms the centre of the memorial. The tower's interior will be open from next month, showing the "Books of the Dead" that list the names of the Irishmen who died in the first World War.
The entrance area and pathways have been entirely relaid and new stones have been added, some containing quotations from Irish soldiers who served in the war. Two new plaques will detail the battle scenes at Ypres and near Messines, where Irish soldiers played an important role in 1917.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will do all the planting and landscaping and will maintain the park in future.
Most of the landscaping will be completed by June but some oak trees will be planted later in the year.
The refurbishment is being funded jointly by the OPW and its Northern Ireland equivalent, Construction Services. But the OPW has clearly taken the leading role in applying resources and commitment to the project.
The refurbishment has been welcomed by the town of Messines and Belgium's federal government has agreed to build an 80-bed youth hostel in the town next year in the hope of more tourism.