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On Wednesday night last in Roscrea’s Abbey Hall a three-stage programme of restoration for the towns 90-year-old hall was unveiled by Architect Derek Coulter assisted by quantity surveyor Mr Gordon Campbell. The meeting was chaired by Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Abbey Hall Mr John Lupton, who urged large scale community participation in the Hall’s ownership and support for fundraising activities to meet the overall targeted cost of €750,000.
Pictured at the launch of the Abbey Hall’s Restoration Plans in Roscrea on Wednesday last were:
Danny Bergin, Susan Crawford, Paddy Collison, Marie Ryan, John Lupton (Chairman), Cllr Michael Smith, Lilian Delaney, Noel Coonan (TD), Brendan Keeshan, Derek Coulter (Architect), Cllr Denis Ryan, Gordon Campbell (Quantity Surveyor), Cllr Pauline Coonan, Eamon Phelan and Mary Bowe.
The Plan
The restoration plan is on a three-phased basis. The first phase will include repairing of roof and windows. This work is due to begin next month and will be funded with the help of €100,000 grant from North Tipperary Leader Partnership.
The second phase will include the upgrading of the heating and lighting system together with insulation of the walls and floor of the main hall. The third stage would include a contemporary style extension to the hall to facilitate a coffee shop and information office, together with the addition of retractable seating and new stage facility in the main hall.
Pictured at the launch of the Abbey Hall’s Restoration Plans in Roscrea on Wednesday last were:
John Lupton, Susan Crawford, Lilian Delaney Derek Coulter (Architect), and Gordon Campbell.
Dick Conroy and Pat Bourke examine the impressive restoration plans for the Abbey Hall, Roscrea, which went on public display on
Wednesday evening last.
Ownership
The Abbey Hall was built in the 1920’s and was run by the Catholic Young Men’s Association. In the late 1930’s a debt of £700 at the time was taken over by the parish of Roscrea together with responsibility for the hall. The parish of Roscrea continued to run the hall until 1995 when it was handed over to RCTLC. Since then up to last year RCTLC ran the hall, and carried out significant repair work thereto. In the past year a company was set up by the Directors of RCTLC ie; Roscrea Abbey Community Centre Ltd who now have responsibility for the hall. The company was set up to acquire Charitable Status which RCTLC could not acquire as it (RCTLC) was designated to have Sporting Status. Roscrea Abbey Community Centre Ltd has recently been successful in acquiring Charitable Status.
Membership of the Abbey Hall is now available for a minimum subscription of just €25.00 The membership drive is part of the Abbey Hall’s ambitious restoration plans. Noel Coonan TD and Cllr Pauline Coonan were delighted to avail of the offer and are pictured here with Susan Crawford
and Liam Shanahan
Susan Crawford, Liam Shanahan, Noel Coonan TD and Cllr Pauline Coonan.
The legal ownership of the hall was placed in the names of trustees in the 1940’s, which included the Bishop of Killaloe Dr. Michael Fogarty and the then Administrator of the Roscrea Parish, Fr Toohey. With the trustees all dead now for many years much work had to be done to have the legal ownership transferred to the Diocesan Trust. This was completed recently. Now that the Roscrea Abbey Community Centre has acquired Charitable Status an application is being made to the Commissioner of Charitable Bequests of Ireland to have the hall transferred to the said company. It is hoped to have this very significantly advanced during the month of September.
Fundraising
Part of the fundraising initiative is intertwined with what John Lupton calls the “absolute necessity for the hall to have as broad as possible Community Ownership”.
Hence anyone who subscribes a minimum of €25 will, if he/she wishes, be a member of the Abbey Hall Company. The company Chairman John Lupton said that members of the company will hold an EGM in November to formally extend membership and there will be an AGM of the extended membership in December which will elect a Board of Directors for the coming year.
As part of the fundraising campaign for the restoration of the Abbey Hall a second hand bookshop will open on Min Street, Roscrea on September 1st. Pictured at the launch of the initiative were
L/R:
Steve Crofton, Rose Crofton, Liam Shanahan and Susan Crawford.
Anyone who wishes can donate a minimum of €25 and thus become a member of the Abbey Hall Company or sponsor a slate for the Abbey Hall for €10. On the other hand if anyone wishes to donate a minimum of €250 in any tax year it is tax deductable for self-employed and an additional payment will be made to the Abbey Hall in the case of a PAYE worker depending on their Marginal Rate of Tax
While individuals, clubs and organisations are urgently requested to initiate a fundraising activity for the hall the company itself has embarked on a clothes recycling initiative and are about to open a 2nd hand bookshop.
Clothes Recycling
Within the next week bags of clothes, linens, towels, bed clothes, handbags, pairs of shoes, belts etc handed into the Abbey Hall will be recycled to a cost benefit to the Abbey Hall restoration fund.
Bookshop
This September 1st sees the opening of a 2nd hand bookshop at Crawfords Main Street Roscrea. To date a large quantity of books have been donated and the Abbey Hall Company wishes to thank all who have done so and in particular to George Cunningham who has donated a large quantity of new books and has also been most supportive in the setting up of the shop. The company is extremely grateful to its Manager Susan Crawford whose brainchild it was and to Arthur Crawford for the extremely generous use of his shop premises. It is also grateful to those who have volunteered to ‘man’ the shop for some hours during the week. Anyone willing to either contribute books or help out in any way are asked to contact Susan either at the bookshop or by contacting the Abbey Hall tel: 0505 23183/23185.
The development of the Abbey Hall will enhance the streetscape of Abbey Street and will enhance the town of Roscrea. It will also help in time to develop a greater interest in the Arts in Roscrea and perhaps see the staging of Drama Festival for the locality. It will also offer much enhanced facilities to Roscrea Musical Society who have had their 70th production in the hall last year and also the Roscrea Players.
Anyone wishing to make any contribution to the Abbey Hall are asked to contact the Community Office in the Abbey Hall or any of the present Directors of the Abbey Community Centre Ltd – John Lupton – Chairman, Lilian Delaney – Secretary,
Paddy Collison – Treasurer, Paddy Bergin – Asst. Treasurer, Eamon Phelan, Brendan Keeshan, Teresa Bowe, John Guilfoyle, Ger Coughlan, or Emmet Arrigan.
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