Offaly village's vibrant community is inspired by Obama

After all the excitment and hype of the President Obama visit in 2011, the Moneygall Development Association continues to tap into that excitement and energy and has been behind a large number of great projects in the intervening years.
Henry Healy of MDA said the Association is very grateful to Offaly Local Development Company for essential support.
He listed the great projects that have happened since the President's visit in 2011 and now. “In 2011, after the President's visit, we prepared a Community Development Plan which included a household survey. That meant we as volunteers went door to door and asked people what they wanted. From the survey we drew up a plan of action.
“A lack of facilities for our kids was one of the things that was very important. Therefore we created a Community and Activity Park. This included a playground, which is state of the art and was called for by many local parents. An innovative feature of this playground is that there is also an adult section for the parents, the big children!, to exercise on while their kids are playing.
“A beautiful 6km walk, the Rock of Loyer Loop, was also created. It's well waymarked and is popular. It was recently used for a Stations of the Cross.
“Other projects included the development of the Church of Ireland Hall. We developed a picnic area, a multi-use games area. A Community Garden was another fantastic endeavour. People work hard in this garden, getting much enjoyment from it. It also features a long polytunnel.”
Henry strongly advised all aspiring community groups to draw up a Community Development Plan before proceeding with their actions.