Carracastle Community Centre on brink of closure

Carracastle Community Centre on brink of closure


Ciara Galvin

THE village of Carracastle could be about to lose its community centre. The closure could also sound a death knell for the town’s only remaining public house, Davey’s pub, which also has a grocery shop and the village’s post office.
Davey’s pub is situated directly beside the centre, with most of the pub’s custom resulting from the centre’s current existence. An urgent meeting is being held tomorrow evening (Wednesday) in order to try to find a way of saving the centre, which has been the cornerstone of the community for several decades.
The centre is facing bankruptcy, and Save Carracastle Community Centre Campaign PRO Deirdre King fears the centre will close in a matter of weeks.
Ms King told The Mayo News that because the committee numbers have dwindled to an all-time low, it is no longer viable, and a new committee needs to be formed in order to restore the centre to its former glory.
The centre, which boasts a main hall, a secondary room, toilets and a kitchen, is currently being used for soccer, karate and meetings of the local active retirement group.
Ms King fears that the closure of the centre could result in the closure of Davey’s and would increase rural isolation in the 700-strong community.
“This [meeting] is a last ditch attempt for the people of Carracastle to stop the decline of the village. The school and the church will be the only things left. People need some place to meet,” said Ms King.
She went on to explain that because running costs of the centre have increased over the past year, the funds raised from the Carracastle Lass competition, which are usually used to pay the insurance of the centre, have already been spent. For this reason, a committee is needed to bring ideas and solutions to the table in order to save the centre.
People who attend the meeting will not be forced to join a committee, said Ms King, but she said it was important for people of the community to show their support for centre.
“When the number 22 bus route was threatened, within three days 300 people got together in the hall and a delegation went to the DΡil. Now the community has to come together,” said King.
The meeting takes place on Wednesday, March 12, at 9pm in the Carracastle Community Centre, and all members of the community are urged to attend and put forward their ideas to save the centre.