Over €212k grant will bring 'well-used hall into the 21st century'

Photo: Helen Conneely, Chairperson of Ballinahown Community Development Association.

What's thought to be the biggest ever grant injection for Ballinahown village is being hailed this week.

Ballinahown Village Hall Revitalisation Project was one of several local beneficiaries of the latest tranche from the Just Transition Fund, getting €212,500 on Tuesday last.

“What it will allow us to do is bring a very well-used hall into the 21st century,” the delighted Chairperson of Ballinahown Community Development Association, Helen Conneely, told the Westmeath Independent. “It's a complete overhaul of the community hall in terms of insulation and an upgrade. It will also extend the use of the hall by putting in four to six hotdesks in there to allow remote working,” said the community activist.

Ballinahown's hinterland has a lot of Bord na Móna workers so the wind-down of peat harvesting has been felt in the area, added Helen, and they are hopeful that some of those families will be able to use the workspaces to stay in the area or work remotely. While maximising the space they have, and providing an additional income stream, the retrofit insulation of such a key building in the area will also reduce its running costs in the years ahead

“We're very happy to receive the funding. At all stages of the process, we were told it was a competitive competition. We have a 2030 Vision document for the village, and the hall and its upgrade is part of that. We also had a study in there prepared by Martin Murray Architects about its potential uses.”

Helen said the grant will also allow them to acknowledge the listed status of the building, and develop it within the existing footprint to move forward next year.

Cllr John Dolan, who is Vice Chairperson of Ballinahown Community Development Association, said there is a demand for remote workspaces in the village, and he is delighted to see it coming on stream. While there is not fibre broadband locally, there are good quality broadband speeds in the village which will facilitate the project.

“It's very exciting to have that and to see that level of funding coming to the village. It secures the future of the hall. It's a great boost to the area,” he declared, saying serious credit must go to Helen Conneely, who spent long hours on the paperwork.

“It's only right that Ballinahown gets a good investment, the loss of Bord na Móna has had an effect on the area, and it's only right that the village gets its share,” commented the Fine Gael representative. “In fairness, the village is progressive, and this will benefit everybody,” he remarked, adding that he hopes to see the remote working hub up and running next year.

John and Helen both paid tribute to Jackie Finney, Athlone Municipal District Manager and Director of Services, Barry Kehoe, for all their engagement with the group on their application, their fellow committee members, and Martin Murray Architects.