Looking Back: Kilcullen Community Centre
Pictured are (back) Frank Nugent, Anthony Lambe, Joe Corrigan, John Archbold, Michael Callaghan, PJ Lydon; and (seated) Jody Keogh, Tom Carter, Ber Corrigan, and Frances Clare.
In 1979 Kilcullen Community Council applied for and was awarded a Government grant of £106,000 towards the building of a Sports Complex. Kilcullen was one of 16 towns in Ireland to be granted over £100,000 and one of only five towns to accept it. The site and remaining costs had to be funded locally.
The CPC order of Nuns kindly donated two acres of land for this project. A lease on the lands was signed for 1,000 years.
The balance of £214,000 was financed by a BOI loan and by community donations and fundraisers by the Kilcullen Community Council, chaired by May Connolly. The Ball Alley trustees (Thomas Berney Snr, Pat Lynch, Andrew Maloney, Jim Berney and Tommy Wallace) donated £10,000 from the sale of a property on Lower Main Street. Jim Collins, Frank Nugent, Jerry Kelly, Brian Keyes, Tom Carter, Joe Corrigan and Pat Dunlea were other notable donors.
Interest rates in the early 1980s were often over 17pc per annum. Ireland was in a recession and money was scarce. The debt owed on the BOI loan rose to over £280,000, an unmanageable amount. Despite local fundraising efforts, the KCC Finance Committee struggled to repay even the interest on the loan. In 1983 KCC chairperson Mary Connolly died suddenly and some months later the Finance Committee decided to disband.
Some years later Pat Dunlea successfully brokered a deal with the bank for £20,000 as full and final settlement of the debt. Pat personally loaned the Community £15,000 towards this settlement. In 1988 a Limited Company with Charitable status was formed. Since then the centre has been run by a Manager and a Voluntary Board of Directors.
The centre was officially opened on 2nd May 1982 by Kildare politician and Minister for Defence Mr Paddy Power TD.
(History information from the Community Centre website.)
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