Ballyhaunis Community Hall renovation project continues
A LARGE banner announcing 'hall renovation project' in bold capitals is the very positive announcement outside Ballyhaunis Community Hall that work on the interior renovation of the building is under way this month.
The work is being carried out by Kilvine-based builder Cummins & Cummins and will see an extension to the building on Main Street as well as a major overhaul of the bathrooms and kitchen facilities and a new heating system.
A widening of the hall's stage is also part of the overhaul of the 80-year-old building, which is being overseen by project manager Eugene Waldron of engineering firm Waldron & Associates.
Known fondly as the Parochial Hall, the facility was handed over to Ballyhaunis Community Council by the parish on a 35-year lease.
The chairman of the community council, Mark Godfrey, explained: "The refurbishment works are being supported by a €250,000 grant from the EU-funded LEADER programme, which means that €100,000 must be raised locally by the community council.
“New national regulations on low carbon heating and energy efficiency means the oil-fired boiler will be replaced by an air-to-water heat pump, which will be more efficient and eliminate costly oil bills but which is costly to install."
The building was re-roofed and externally insulated last year with assistance from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and from funds raised by the hall committee over the years, when the venue was a popular destination for activities like bingo, discos and amateur drama.
"The heyday of the bingo was the 1980s and 1990s – it's a game for tough times! It died out in the '90s," explained Tom Finn, who has been a long-term overseer of the building from his nearby shoe shop on Main Street.
"Large crowds attended dances, teen discos and plays over the years, but the building now needs rebuilding to accommodate modern comforts."
While the town's population has increased in recent years, Ballyhaunis has a comparative lack of function rooms or meeting spaces. "There is no hotel," noted parish priest Fr. Stephen Farragher, "and the hall's location in the centre of the town makes it a convenient option."
That view is supported by the demand for the space, which, prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, counted the local tennis club, the parish choir, a Zumba fitness group and a language club among its weekly users.
"The hall is also home to the offices of a full-time youth service funded by Foroige Ireland," said Mike Griffin, who handles all the bookings for the premises.
"As well as this, it is also used by the local Islamic community for family celebrations. It's great to see this valuable amenity getting a facelift; it's badly needed and it is great for the town."
More recently, the hall has had enquiries from prospective new tenants, including the Dublin-based leader of the Christian Orthodox Church, with a large flock locally among the workers in the meat and steel plants, which generates much industrial employment in Ballyhaunis.
"It is very clear that there is a need for a venue like this in the town, and when the renovations are complete it will be a much more comfortable venue," observed Mary Donnelly, secretary of Ballyhaunis Community Council and one of several fundraisers seeking to raise funds for the works.
For more information, all are welcome to visit the group's GoFundMe page, email ballyhauniscommunitycouncil@gmail.com, or telephone (087) 9777899 or (087) 6982473.