'Major visitor attraction' for Leitrim town in the works
It is proposed that the former courthouse in Ballinamore will be developed into the John McGahern Gateway Centre as a hub for fans of the famous writer, and provide local tourism information for visitors.
He is hailed as one of the important Irish writers of the latter half of the twentieth century and now Leitrim man John McGahern is to be remembered in Ballinamore through a new centre.
It is proposed that the former courthouse in Ballinamore will be developed into the John McGahern Gateway Centre as a hub for fans of the famous writer, and provide local tourism information for visitors.
Talking to Shannonside.ie, John Toolan, the chairman of the McGahern Gateway Centre Committee, said the committee is looking to develop a "major tourist attraction" from the former courthouse.
He continued: "A facility which will anchor an interpretive centre to extoll the literary attraction of John McGAhern as a writer, for the country but also for this area because John hails from Aughawillan and lived in Ballinamore, Fenagh etc; this is his absolute heartland."
He said the centre will provide a "window to all of the tourism amenities in the Ballinmore area; the wonderful Glenview Folk Museum at Aghoo run by the Kennedys, all of the B&B facilities that are in the town, the visitor attractions, the wonderful Greenway we have starting out at the former Cavan/Leitrim railway headquarters."
Mr Toolan said the group have been in contact with the court services with regard to transferring the building a "charitable status company we've set up for the purposes of developing this project and our hope then is to move as soon as possible with the next stage which would be for preparation for architectural designs and drawings for the courthouse."
He noted that the courthouse is the second oldest building in Ballinamore and said "it's an opposing and powerful landmark building at the centre of town with it's own history and history would also form part of the McGahern Gateway Centre."
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He said it was also planned to develop a space for the Solas Art Gallery as part of the centre. "It's a really exciting new development for the town.
Mr Toolan stressed that a "complete refurbishment job is needed; the building has been falling into complete disarray since 2009 when it closed as a functioning courthouse."
He added that it could take up to €7 million to bring the building back to it's former glory. "When it is restored, we intend to have a facility of real value and economic powerhouse for the town when it's completed."
This year is the 20th anniversary of the death of John McGahern and Mr Toolan said that ambition is to have "the building completely finished in advance of the 25th anniversary of his death."