Historic day in Glenasmole: €1.1m redeveloped community centre open

THE newly redeveloped Glenasmole Community Centre was officially opened on Wednesday, April 24, marking the culmination of the five-year project led by the Glenasmole Community Association.

The original community centre building was built to serve the rural community of Glenasmole in 1973, but in 2018 the association led efforts to redevelop and modernise the facility.

This followed on from a series of community meetings and a community-wide consultation, with the €1.1m redevelopment finally coming to pass this year after enduring Covid-related delays.

The facility houses a multi-purpose community hall, a community meeting room, large kitchen facilities, a multi-purpose café area and an adjoining all-weather multi-use games area.

John Lee, chairperson of the Glenasmole Community Association, said at the official opening: “Today marks a historic day for the community of Glenasmole.

“Our new redeveloped community centre is now available for the community to use, enjoy and make the next set of local memories; all of which would not have been possible without the sheer dedication and hard work of both the local committee and the buy in and huge support received from the external funding bodies of whom we will be eternally grateful to.”

The costs of the redevelopment works were met from a combination of local community fundraising, and support from Community Finance Ireland.

Significant funding came from a number of funding bodies, including Rural Dublin Leader and South Dublin County Council.

Funding was also received from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media, and the Department of Rural Community Development.

Speaking at the official opening, Mayor Alan Edge said that he felt “hugely privileged both as Mayor but more particularly as a local Glenasmole resident to have the honour of officially opening the re-developed centre.”

In the coming months, the community association will start to focus on the second phase of the project, which will see the development of a community campus on lands surrounding the centre.

The association has already secured €140,000 of funding through the council’s Have Your Say initiative to assist with the second phase.