NEW FACILITY IS SOCIAL HUB
COMMUNITY spirit has been highlighted in exemplary fashion with the official opening of the new facilities at Kilmacanogue GAA club.
As one club member commented to this newspaper, the new building rose like a phoenix from the ashes after the original building was subjected to two arson attacks within the space of a few days in 2016.
Among the speakers at the opening was club chairperson Mark Quinn, who highlighted the huge level of support the club received from ordinary people in addition to help from the Leinster Council and the County Development Officer.
He emphasised how the club is at the heart of the community and how those involved with the project were overwhelmed by the level of support they received from local people.
Club member Peader Smyth told this newspaper that the task was ‘ huge’ and he described what was achieved as ‘phenomenal’.
‘We started on April 1, 2016, with the turning of the sod, and it was completed last Saturday night at around 10 p.m.,’ he said.
He complimented everyone involved and paid tribute to the local women who used their recycling skills to completely revamp the interior of the building.
The club put the original plans out to tender but the quotes that came back were out of reach. However, three local builders – John Flynn, Ryan Lavery and Andrew Molloy – came to the rescue and were instrumental in ensuring the plans reached fruition.
Des Fox, the chairperson of the club’s Development Committee, also contributed enormously to the success of the project.
There was a poignant aspect to the official opening too as it was carried out by Mary Donnelly and Yvonne Doyle whose respective husbands, Kieran Doyle and John Donnelly, were involved in the initial stage of the project but who sadly passed away in the interim.
The women unveiled a plaque honouring their late husbands and the contribution they made to the club.
The opening saw a number of underage games being played and the massive crowd that attended was indicative of how the new facility is likely to become a social hub for the community.