Archive - Major educational institute announced for Kilkenny and Beer Festival to be scaled back! (1974)

An institute for adult education, a major sheltered workshop for mentally handicapped adults, a school and hostel for emotionally disturbed children, hostel accommodation for mildly mentally handicapped children and extended facilities for school leavers’ courses - five projects that summarise the biggest and most ambitious community undertaking ever attempted in Kilkenny.

Spearheading the plan is Rev Dr Birch. Assisting him are the Social Services and some of Kilkenny’s most prominent businessmen.

Many of the details have yet to be worked out, but some of the developments are already underway.

All five projects will be centred at the former Holy Family Novitiate at Seville Lodge on the Callan Road, less than a mile from the city, which was recently purchased by Dr Birch.

In the principal building alone, which was built 11 years ago, is sleeping accommodation for 80 people, several lecture rooms, dining area, a large kitchen, a laundry and a chapel which can accommodate 200 people.

“The entire project is an immense undertaking,” Dr Birch told the Kilkenny People, “but I am confident with the help of the community we can achieve all we set out to do.

“We will require a great deal of professional staff, business staff,” he said. “We hope to appoint a business manager to handle the business side of the projects because some way must be found to make the whole undertaking self supporting.

“But in this problem we have the backing of some very concerned businessmen who will ensure the business end will be professionally looked after.

“We also hope to get an educational manager to co-ordinate the educational aspects of the project.”

Beer Festival

The Kilkenny Beer Festival will go ahead this year. After months of doubt it has been announced that the festival is not being scrapped as had been strongly rumoured.

But there will be changes.

The Kilkenny Beer Festival will not be an eight-day event as in the past.

The Festival will begin on Wednesday, May 29 and finish as usual on Whit weekend. But there will be events on the afternoon of June 3.

It is very likely too that the venue will be changed from St James’s Park to the Fair Green.

Plans were being made to provide camping accommodation in St James’s Park and St John’s Park.