Big grant for landmark vacant building in Offaly

A LANDMARK building in Shinrone, vacant for many years, has been given a big government grant.

The old library building in Shinrone has been awarded a grant of €250,000 under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

The news was warmly welcomed by Cllr Peter Ormond during the January meeting of Birr Municipal District. He said the library is located on Birr Road and closed in 2009. “We have been trying to get a grant for it for a number of years and thankfully have now received this good news. Over the last few years 85% of the village's roads and footpaths have been upgraded, significantly improving the appearance of the village; upgrading the library will be another big improvement to Shinrone's appearance.”

The Offaly Regeneration Officer Olwen Cummins told the meeting that the proposal seeks to refurbish and repurpose the old library building “and provide the local community and surrounding hinterland with a modern community building and site.
“The project shall repurpose the building and site to become a multi purpose community space.”

The concepts proposed for its use include:
An exhibition space; hot desk facility; training / meeting room; community office; sensory room; sensory / community garden; men's shed / women's shed; canteen facilities and accessible toilets.

The meeting was told that the public consultation process is to begin as soon as possible to finalise uses and assist the final design.

Cllr Ormond said there's another building in the village which he would dearly love to see being tackled. He pointed out that the former priest's house on the main street has been derelict for a long time and is a big eyesore. Windows and drainpipes are broken. The house is located at the entrance to Castle Court Estate. It was known by locals until relatively recently as Canon Hannon's house after the former Parish Priest who lived there in the 1960s.

“We have been trying to find out for many years who the owner of that building is,” commented Cllr Ormond, “but we can never make a breakthrough. We don't know who the owner is. The government is due to bring in new derelict site legislation in the near future and I am hopeful that, at long last, this new legislation will lead to a resolution of this problem.”