Architect who designed Offaly workers' village to be celebrated

The legacy of Frank Gibney, the architect behind a number of Bord na Mona workers’ villages in the midlands including St Cormac's Park in Kilcormac is to be celebrated at a community event this Saturday in Cloontuskert, County Roscommon.

The celebration will kick off a project spearheaded by the Irish Architecture Foundation and environment organisation Global Action Plan, which will see architect-led teams of designers and researchers examine the legacy of Gibney and his vision and explore how his principles can be applied to the changing environment, in particular as Bord na Móna moves away from the use of peat for energy production.

This project is part of the Irish Architecture Foundation’s Reimagine programme. Reimagine works with communities across Ireland to co-create and co-design solutions to problems or opportunities they’ve identified in their locality. Reimagine is made possible by Creative Ireland’s National Creativity Fund and additional funding through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Kicking off at 12 noon on Saturday 11th December in Cloontuskert Community Orchard, County Roscommon, there will be music, mulled wine and Christmas cheer as architects Evelyn D’Arcy and David Jameson display archival images and maps and invite residents to share their memories, thoughts and visions for the village. In addition, there will be a treasure hunt for the young and young at heart, and film-maker Padraig Cunningham from Pure Designs in Boyle will be gathering stories of village life.

Speaking ahead of Saturday, Shauna O’Neill, Chairperson of the Cloontuskert Development and Tidy Towns Association,  stated: “Cloontuskert’s selection for the Workers’ Villages project is testament to the collective vision shared by the many families who travelled from all over our island to make Cloontuskert their home in the early 1950s. From this, life was given to many future generations, making the community of Cloontuskert what it is today. We are so excited for the journey that Workers’ Villages will bring for Cloontuskert, including giving our community an important voice in sharing our memories, thoughts, and visions for the future. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone involved in this project.”

Tania Banotti, Director of Creative Ireland, stated: “We are very excited to be supporting this project, which speaks to the heart of Just Transition. Frank Gibney was an architect with a progressive vision for a modern rural Ireland. By looking to him, and to the communities he formed through his designs, we can ensure those whose labour served us all have a voice in the changing rural landscape, and perhaps even find an innovative blueprint for sustainable rural development.”

Also speaking was Nathalie Weadick, Director of the IAF, who said: “Right now, communities around the midlands are coming to grips with the impact of Ireland’s move away from peat harvesting. They are affected not just by job loss but also a loss of identity and community that were created through the work. As we grapple with the real challenges of climate change and the biodiversity crisis, we risk leaving behind the workers and their communities who once brought light into our homes and created power sovereignty for our young country. With funding from Creative Ireland’s Climate Action Fund, communities at the centre of this change are looking to the legacy of one architect, Frank Gibney, for inspiration for the future of their villages.

“The housing schemes by Frank Gibney were radically new ways of delivering much needed housing in rural Ireland, and are remarkable for their long-lasting use, distinct designs, incorporation of public space, density, walkability, and liveability – veritable beacons of sustainable planning and urban design.”

In 2022, Workers’ Villages will start working with residents of Lanesborough, County Longford and Kilcormac, County Offaly.

To stay up to date on this project, visit www.reimagineplace.ie.