NEW LIFE FOR IWAI’S DUNROVIN
Alison Alderton looks at work to transform her former home into a clubhouse and lifeboat station.
IN 2012 I wrote a feature for these pages titled ‘The Colonel, the Nissen hut and the Irish waterways’. It told of my time living at Dunrovin, a one-acre site of woodland and gardens nestling on the shores of Lough Ree.
Originally this belonged to the Rice family and it was Colonel Harry Rice, along with a group of waterways enthusiasts, who set up the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) from the small Nissen hut he erected within the grounds and transformed into a unique home.
Following his death and, subsequently, that of his wife, Cynthia, Dunrovin was bequeathed to the IWAI and since that time let to various tenants. I am one of these lucky tenants who came to know the site intimately.
It is a very special place and a haven for wildlife, in a prime position on the entrance to the calmer waters of Lough Ree’s inner lakes just a few miles from Athlone, the main town of the Irish Midlands. Surrounded by some excellent marinas, pubs, restaurants, it is within sight of the world-class Glasson golf course.
It had always been the Rices’ intention that Dunrovin be used as a clubhouse and meeting room for the association, however, interest in a lifeboat station was also mentioned as the family were great supporters of the RNLI.
There was no lifeboat based on the lough at that time, but in 2012 the RNLI set up a temporary station in the adjacent public car park which has since developed into one of the busiest in the country. It seemed a natural progression that the two water-based charities should come together to fulfil the Rice family’s wishes and provide facilities that the wider population could benefit from.
Shared home
The partnership between the RNLI and the IWAI will result in a shared home for the two organisations in Athlone. The Dunrovin project will see a new stateof-the-art lifeboat station for Lough Ree RNLI and a clubhouse for the IWAI, which will also incorporate a home for the association’s archives.
This is much needed, as currently the archives are stored all over the country in boxes under beds and in garages, and even held generously by external organisations.
The new lifeboat station will consist of a training room and crew changing area, a mechanic’s workshop, and a boathouse for the station’s lifeboat. In seeking to use long-term sustainable and cost-effective methods, photovoltaic panels to convert light into electricity, air source heat recovery for hot water and ground source heating will be used. The IWAI’s new clubhouse building will consist of a meeting room, catering and WC facilities, an outside events area, access and parking.
IWAI president Alan Kelly said: “Our new clubhouse will also provide a base for like-minded organisations who use the waterways, to conduct their activities both on and off season.
“The IWAI is an integral part of any community and has a long history of co-operating, supporting and engaging with communities, ensuring inland waterways are developed with all users in mind.
“With unanimous agreement, the association agreed to lease a site to the RNLI; a 99-year lease at a peppercorn rent to facilitate the building of a permanent lifeboat station at Coosan Point. In tandem, as part of that build, the association also agreed to develop a multi-purpose building for the use of our members.”
For more than 20 years, the fate of Dunrovin has exercised the IWAI. There is a deep desire and honour in the association to be respectful of its heritage and origins, and to provide a lifeboat station for the safety of water users on Lough Ree and beyond. But the scale of costs and the size of the undertaking is daunting.
The provision of a multi-purpose building provides several obvious solutions for the IWAI: it provides a secure long-term future, being an asset for the organisation; a venue for AGMs and council meetings; a site to hold training events to improve safety and boating skills; and a suitable home for the IWAI archives.
Site clearance
From February 2020, the initial phase of the works involved site clearance and the demolition of existing buildings to facilitate construction. Site clearance included the removal of several existing trees and vegetation, according to a tree survey and planning conditions. All waste materials were disposed of at a suitable off-site facility.
The building area will be 104sqm and the specification will utilise high quality materials similar to RNLI builds in other permanent lifeboat stations across the country and in the UK. These buildings are built with low maintenance and longevity in mind – very suitable for the voluntary nature of the IWAI.
Work is expected to be completed later this year but, of course, will depend on the pandemic and restrictions put in place. I am looking forward to seeing my former home transformed , and I am extremely proud of all that has been achieved by the IWAI and the RNLI – both in realising the Rice family’s vision to provide a home for waterways enthusiasts, and in making the lake a safer place for all.
With current pandemic restrictions in place, it is not possible for everyone to visit the Dunrovin site.
However, IWAI is keeping those interested up-to-date through regular website posts, potentially bringing the metamorphosis of Dunrovin – on multiple levels through film, photos and archive material – into the homes of many.