Siamsa na Carraige building up for sale

WHAT the future holds for Teach Siamsa na Carraige was anything but certain as Tralee estate agents DNG WH Giles held an open day on Monday in the building that is being sold by private tender.

A trickle of locals called in during the brief afternoon period that the folk theatre building was open for inspection. Some appeared to have no more than a passing interest, but one man thought he might be able to convert the single-storey building into a shop, which would provide a valuable community service in an area where people have to drive over 10km to Dingle to buy a pint of milk.

The viability of such a venture would depend on buying Teach Siamsa at the right price, but the price has not been clearly fixed and, in any event, price is not the only factor involved in the sale of the building which was built in the 1970s.

Estate agent Daniel Giles, who was conducting the open day, told The Kerryman that the building will be sold by private tender, but not necessarily to the highest bidder. Instead the board of Siamsa Tíre will take into consideration a number of factors, including the proposed future use of the building, before deciding which tender to accept.

“The decision on the sale rests with Siamsa Tíre and won’t be based entirely on the highest bid,” said Daniel. “They will go with the most suitable offer, taking into account the potential uses of the building.”

“It could be converted into a holiday home and there are Americans who would buy the place without even looking at it, but the preferred use would be community-based,” he added.

In an effort to bring greater clarity to the situation, the local man with an interest in opening a shop asked if €300,000 would buy the building. “Probably,” was the answer. “How about €250,000?” This got a less enthusiastic response, indicating that the successful tender might be somewhere in the region of €300,000.

The decision by Siamsa Tíre to sell Siamsa na Carraige has not been well received among the cultural community of Corca Dhuibhne. At a recent public meeting, attended by over 50 people in Halla na Feothanaí, there was a strong view that the building should not be sold to any private individual who would take it out of use as a cultural centre and community asset.

The meeting, which was attended by Fr Pat Ahern who founded Siamsa Tíre 70 years ago, also came to the view that the building should not be sold at all and should continue in its original role as a wellspring of culture in the heart of the West Kerry Gaeltacht and, if this were not possible, it should be gifted to the local community to continue the cultural mission.

Among the resolutions to emerge from the meeting was a strong view that the board of Siamsa Tíre should give the local community more time to explore options for maintaining Siamsa na Carraige as a centre of culture.

However, the community has little time for considering the options. The deadline for the submission of tenders is 12 noon on Friday, May 10, and tender documents are available by email only from WH Giles office in Tralee (info@whgiles.ie).