Glenbrohane Community Hub - rural regeneration in action
‘Rural regeneration’ is a buzzword which has been used a lot in the media and by politicians in the last number of years, but what exactly is rural regeneration?
The little village of Glenbrohane in Co. Limerick will soon be a visible and active example of a how a rural village on the verge of disappearing can be rejuvenated. The population of this close-knit community has been in decline for many years now, with few young people opting to settle and raise their family in the area. Sadly, Glenbrohane has also been affected by a number of suicides in recent years. As a result of these challenges, the local community was spurred into action and ‘The Local Hub’ project was born.
When Tobin’s Sliabh Riad public house came up for sale in 2017, the newly-formed committee jumped at the chance to turn the building into a new focal point for community life. Now, the former keg room, with a high ceiling, lots of light and a striking noir black chalkboard feature wall, will be home to a small deli/café, serving tea, coffee, soup and sandwiches. There will also be a small shop selling essential items like bread, butter and milk. The old bar area will be used as a seating area for people to enjoy food purchased at the café, as well as community events like card games, cinema nights, etc.
IDEAL LOCATION
Grace Moore, one of the drivers of the project, explained the elements involved.
“We wanted to create a space that will give people a sense of belonging because it is so important to people’s general health, mental health and wellbeing. Studies have shown how important the feeling of being connected to others is; it increases psychological and physical well-being, decreases the risk of depression and physical ailments, and in older people, social connectedness has been shown to increase functioning and reduce mortality.
“Over the Covid lockdowns particularly, I think people became very conscious of the effect of not meeting people as regularly as they once did. We have about 430 people living in Glenbrohane itself, and so we wanted to create somewhere to meet up. Someplace like the pub, only in this case without the drink! People can arrange to meet for a cuppa and a chat to catch up.
“The option of dropping into the shop will enable people to meet each other spontaneously too; people will be able to get a pint of milk and maybe meet someone for a chat while they’re there too,” she explained.
The Hub is less than a five-minute drive from a popular walking route up Sliabh Riadh which can be accessed from the car park of St. Patrick’s Church in Glenbrohane. Long-term, the hope is to explore the possibility of re-establishing the original walking route up Sliabh Riadh that went from the village itself.
There is already a lot of interest from small businesses such as a hairdresser, beautician and a counsellor, who want to use a room to meet with clients. The Hub also has a number of private meeting rooms to rent on-site within the main Hub building, and also in the newly built ‘Hobby House’ a separate multifunctional space located to the back of the main Hub building.
A fully-kitted out commercial kitchen in line with HACCP standards is another facility available. At present, a number of local food producers have shown interest in renting this space to produce food items to be sold in shops and restaurants. An apartment over the building, with the tenant all ready to move back in, will create additional revenue for the Hub.
SHOVEL-READY TO START
As a not-for-profit social enterprise, Grace says that the Hub will only be charging enough to keep on top of the overheads.
“We’ll be offering rooms for rent by the hour, half-day or full day so it’s very flexible. For the committee the goal is to encourage activity in our area and keeping access to the rental spaces affordable and as flexible as possible.”
The construction work is being undertaken by Fox and O’Rourke Construction and has proved a ‘complicated’ job.
“The actual construction work has been much more complicated than we could ever have foreseen; the small site is on a steep slope, and the original building is over 100 years old, so we had a sense it would be a challenge. When we discovered there were no foundations at all, now that was quite a big surprise. Billy and his team have done an exceptional job and we have been so lucky to have such capable and experienced builders overseeing this for us.”
With the project plan developed back in 2016, the group were in a good place when a call for Rural Regeneration and Development Funding came up, as they were shovel-ready. A grant of €626,000 from the scheme, through the Department of Rural and Community Development, was a huge help in getting things started.
‘REASSURING’
“Padraig Casey, CEO of Ballyhoura Development and David Whyte, our local development officer employed by Ballyhoura Development, have been such a huge help to us along this journey. They are our project partners and take a lot of the pressure off us because they liaise with the Department and oversee the budget. The committee are only volunteers and it would have been overwhelming for us to manage such a large scale capital project alone.
“This is the first time we have undertaken something like this in Glenbrohane; it’s all new territory for us, but for Ballyhoura Development Ltd it is familiar - they have done this kind of work before. It’s very reassuring having them on board.”
Grants from other groups like the Tomar Trust, the JP McManus Benevolent Fund and the Castlepook Wind Farm Fund also helped, as did a generous donation from Katharine Burns who is living in Michigan, USA. Katharine’s grandmother, Bridget Dalton was from Glenbrohane and Katharine has visited Glenbrohane many times over the years. It is a place she holds dear to her heart and so when she saw the appeal for donations, she went about making her own.
REAL BOOST
However, it was the support from a family in Ferns, Co. Wexford that ensured the project got up and running in the very beginning. The Gerard Murphy Memorial Car Show was set up by Bríd and Paddy Murphy following their son Gerard’s death by suicide. Through a mutual contact of the Murphy family and the Hub committee, Brid and Paddy got a copy of the project proposal and wanted to support it. Grace says this particular tranche of funding gave a boost to the organising committee.
“The funding from the Murphy’s was a real confidence boost for the committee in the very beginning. They saw the potential and believed in what we were trying to do. The funds helped us to pay for plans to be drawn up and to apply for planning permission. I don’t think the Murphy family and all those involved in running the car show fully understand the huge contribution they made towards the Hub becoming a reality. Our community will forever be grateful to them.”
COMMUNITY BUY-IN
The grants and funds received have taken what was a dream and made it possible, but the community will be forever grateful to the Tobin family of Clohast, Glenbrohane for their altruism and foresight at the initial stages of the project which resulted in a location for the Hub. Mike and Joan Tobin, the former proprietors of The Sliabh Riadh Bar, were given a copy of the project proposal for the Local Hub the very same day they had agreed to sell the building to a third party. “Then Mike and Joan did something incredible”, says Grace. “They decided not to proceed with the sale but hold onto the building until we could purchase it. Still to this day, I am blown away by what they did for the Hub project and for Glenbrohane.”
An opening date of summer 2022 is on the cards, and donations are still being taken via Ballyhoura Development’s website. These donations will help to pay bills like electricity, water and heating that come in from now until the doors open and income starts being generated from renting spaces. Once up and running, the committee say the Hub will pay for itself.
If you are interested in renting an office space or treatment room, or a food preparation and commercial kitchen, training room, or indeed in running the café, deli, and/or shop, please contact Grace Moore on 087-4153160 or e-mail thelocalhub@yahoo.com