New roof needed on busy and long standing community centre in Offaly village

FORTY NINE years ago on Easter Sunday, the brand new Community Centre in Mountbolus opened it doors to the public.

After a frantic night’s work finishing the floor, the official opening was held at the Centre, built following years of fundraising from Carnivals and other activities and a final Community Collection to see the project over the line.

Forty-nine years of music and dancing, drama, whist drives, classes and courses, schools shows, ICA, IFA, GAA, Macra na Feirme, Macra na Tuaithe/Foroige, youth club, Senior Citizen’s Party, refreshments after funerals, sales of work, auctions, badminton, indoor soccer, and indoor training for GAA, Communion and Confirmation parties, Mass when the church was being renovated, and even a wedding reception.

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Many of these activities have moved on to new homes, or been discontinued. The Community Centre is still here. The name has changed to Killoughey Community Centre. Now, the asbestos sheeting on the roof and front and back of the Community Centre needs changing.

The roof is leaking water down the pillars and seeping under the timber floor, causing rotting and warping. The Community Centre has served Killoughey and surrounding areas well, and the current Hall Committee wants the Centre there for the next 49 years at least, so more generations of parishioners can use the facility.

Removing asbestos from a roof is expensive because as a hazardous material, it must be especially packed and shipped overseas to be disposed of. A grant has been applied for to remove and replace the roof, and in order to draw down the grant, the Community must raise €25,000.

The Hall Committee is asking for help from the entire community. If you are a regular user of the Centre, you know its value, and if you have not used it, please support the fund-raising campaign so it will be there when you want it.

Two major fund-raising events are planned. A Golf Classic on 13 June in Birr Golf Club is taking entries and looking for Tee-Box sponsorship. Entry fee for a team of 4 is €200, so if you are a golfer, gather up a team and enter the Classic.

Or, support the Golf Classic and your business or organisation by buying advertising space at a Tee-box for €100. Contact Sean on (087) 1222010 or Paschal on (086)3853811.

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Rather than have a community meeting and door-to-door collection as was done back in 1975-76, the Committee has organised an idonate page.

To donate, go to https//www.idonate.ie/cause/KillougheyCommunityCentre. If you have family that have left the area, whether living in Ireland or overseas, but grew up using the Hall, encourage them to use the idonate page so other young people can avail of the Community Centre as they did.