Extension plan for Teach Ceoil at Dún na Sí approved

Westmeath County Council has granted planning permission for the extension and refurbishment of the Teach Ceoil building at Dún na Sí Heritage Park in Moate.

Plans for the development were submitted to the local authority by the Trustees of Moate Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in December 2025 with an approval decision received last week.

The development, which has been redesigned due to council concerns with the applicant's original planning submission, will consist of alterations, refurbishments and extensions of the existing Teach Ceoil structure, including internal alterations to facilitate single storey extensions to existing single storey accommodations.

Alterations to all main facades with new roof lighting and PV located on new and existing flat and pitched roof areas and the installation of new mechanical and electrical services throughout the property are included in the approved development plans.

The demolition of some external buildings to facilitate ease of circulation within the site are incorporated into the new development with the overall current use of the accommodations remaining unchanged. Westmeath County Council had requested further information from the applicants on the original planning documentation for which revised drawings were submitted.

The applicants were requested by the local authority to redesign the proposed roofscape layout as the original plans showed it to "detract from the character and proportions of the existing building", resulting in a "bulky form that subsumes the host structure and leads to a loss of its architectural form and proportions".

As part of the redesign, the applicants were also requested revised plans to "provide for the retention of the existing façade", the "relocation of three music teaching rooms" and the "relocation of two proposed toilets within the application site".

The further information request letter issued by the planning authority confirmed that there was "no objection in principle to the scale of the proposed extension" as the "existing structure is of a high-quality design" that makes a "positive contribution to the public road and the setting of Dún na Sí Heritage Park".

The Teach Ceoil at Dún na Sí was officially opened in 1985 and is now the centre for all Moate Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) activities including meetings, seisiúns, shows, céilithe and classes in all forms of Irish culture, including traditional music, set dancing, sean-nós dancing, céilí dancing, singing and the Irish language.