The old school building beside the church was an eyesore and we felt that something had to be done about it,” says Janet Devereux, a former pupil.
Another past pupil, local farmer Liam Wright, agreed.
“We thought that it should be used for the community,” he says. “We could see its condition deteriorating every year, so, in 2014, we approached Fr Nolan, our parish priest, who agreed that we should set up a committee.”
Tacumshane village lies 15km south of Wexford town, near Carnsore, and the Tacumshane Old School Development Group is now close to completing the renovation of the building that shut its doors in 1983.
A lot of work has been done with the €20,000 raised so far. The building has been rewired and the exterior and interior painted, for example. Some new windows and floors have also been fitted and two stoves installed. By mid-August, the now-named Old School Hall will have a new kitchen area and the buachailli and cailini toilets will be finished, thereby completing the second phase of the project.
First stage
The first stage was to get it operational and tasks were prioritised, they point out.
“We focused on what needed to be done immediately,” says builder Val Sinnott, another committee member.
“The back wall and the windows were leaking so water had got in and rotted the floors. Our first job, therefore, was to make the place weatherproof.”
A letter was originally sent to all residents asking for feedback about the proposed renovation.
“The replies were generally positive and that gave us the confidence to move forward,” Janet Devereux says.
“While there is a community centre nearby in Our Lady’s Island, and we’re in that parish, we felt that the older people didn’t have any kind of meeting place in their own village. Momentum built up as people saw the improvements happening. We painted the exterior first so that everyone knew that we were up and running and using the money they had contributed.
“We had our first official gathering, a coffee morning, here last Christmas and the stoves were lighting and the tree was up. There were 120 people here. It was wonderful to see.”
Most of the work has been done voluntarily, along with some paid professional help and valuable FAS support also.
“We were adamant from the start that we weren’t going to go into debt to do the work,” chairman John Byrne says, “and we’ve had a lot of positive feedback because of that. We fundraised and spent the money as we had it. So far, we’ve raised €20,000 and this has been mostly spent. We’ve had small grants from Wexford County Council, the Carnsore Windfarm Development Fund, as well as a parish donation and private donations, which are all much appreciated. Equipment, like the kitchen and toilets, has also been donated, which is great. So many people have contributed time and skills too.”
Fundraising
Fundraising included an Irish night, a bale push and an Operation Transformation event in the school earlier this year, Tom Gaul, another of the seven-strong committee says.
“All the events have been great for getting the community together. Instead of just seeing people driving by, everyone in the locality is now getting to know one another a bit better.”
Hotel manager and “blow-in” Tommy Doyle, is certain that the renovation has lifted morale in the area.
“It’s about putting a heart back into the village, which has been eroded over time,” he says.
“We only had a church and pub left before we started this and now we’ve a meeting place and a reason for people to come together.”
There are plans to highlight the area’s history in the Old School Hall in the next phase of the project.
“It’s an area rich in history and we will be displaying the story of Tacumshane in the Old School,” John Byrne, a recently local authority official, says.
“Commodore John Barry was born in this area and there’s a windmill of note here too. It’s a national monument that many people don’t know about, built in 1846 out of driftwood and timber from shipwrecks. It also has an unusual rotating cap and was used by locals to grind corn here until 1936. We also have Tacumshane lake, a lagoon that, along with Lady’s Island Lake, is a migration hot spot for wading birds and a hugely important place for bird-watchers nationally and beyond.”
Folk memories will be preserved too, the committee says, with older residents contributing their stories of the school and the area in the future. Already, exercise classes, knitting classes, regular coffee mornings and the thrift fund collection take place in the hall, and there are plans for storytelling nights, card nights and a book club this winter.
Audrey Devereux, committee treasurer, who farms locally, also wants the Old School Hall to have facilities for young people in the future.
“We’re thinking of a tennis court and basketball court at the back in time to come, as well as landscaping to soften the whole area,” she says.
Advice
Does the group have any advice for people in other villages who want to tackle a community project?
Committee members gave this advice:
1. You need a central objective to get people together. It helps to have something physical in mind, like doing up a building – a hall or ball alley or historic building – so that you can see results locally and get people behind the project. In our case, it was an unused school.2. You have to show that you have a plan, that you are already active and achieving things, in order to attract financial support. You must show community involvement – that the project is being led from the ground up. This will give you status for fund attraction. We are now at the stage of being able to show the State and European sources that we’ve already attracted some local funding.3. There is no immediate need to be a registered charity or a limited company, although both or either does help you, especially if you’re going after substantial funding. If you can show the State that you are a non-profit body and have received local, voluntary funding, then you can become a registered charity. You can then apply for funding from various State sources and possibly even European Regional Development funding under the Government’s Rural Development (LEADER) Programme. 4. A strong committee is needed, with a diverse range of skills. It should include people native to the area and people who have settled in the area. Each will be a driver of the project in his or her own way.5. Fundraise as you go rather than the stress of borrowing. 6. Keep the community informed of what you’re doing as you go. As residents see the work progressing and the value of the facility, they will hopefully support and use the building into the future. See Tacumshane Old School Development Facebook page for more information.
The old school building beside the church was an eyesore and we felt that something had to be done about it,” says Janet Devereux, a former pupil.
Another past pupil, local farmer Liam Wright, agreed.
“We thought that it should be used for the community,” he says. “We could see its condition deteriorating every year, so, in 2014, we approached Fr Nolan, our parish priest, who agreed that we should set up a committee.”
Tacumshane village lies 15km south of Wexford town, near Carnsore, and the Tacumshane Old School Development Group is now close to completing the renovation of the building that shut its doors in 1983.
A lot of work has been done with the €20,000 raised so far. The building has been rewired and the exterior and interior painted, for example. Some new windows and floors have also been fitted and two stoves installed. By mid-August, the now-named Old School Hall will have a new kitchen area and the buachailli and cailini toilets will be finished, thereby completing the second phase of the project.
First stage
The first stage was to get it operational and tasks were prioritised, they point out.
“We focused on what needed to be done immediately,” says builder Val Sinnott, another committee member.
“The back wall and the windows were leaking so water had got in and rotted the floors. Our first job, therefore, was to make the place weatherproof.”
A letter was originally sent to all residents asking for feedback about the proposed renovation.
“The replies were generally positive and that gave us the confidence to move forward,” Janet Devereux says.
“While there is a community centre nearby in Our Lady’s Island, and we’re in that parish, we felt that the older people didn’t have any kind of meeting place in their own village. Momentum built up as people saw the improvements happening. We painted the exterior first so that everyone knew that we were up and running and using the money they had contributed.
“We had our first official gathering, a coffee morning, here last Christmas and the stoves were lighting and the tree was up. There were 120 people here. It was wonderful to see.”
Most of the work has been done voluntarily, along with some paid professional help and valuable FAS support also.
“We were adamant from the start that we weren’t going to go into debt to do the work,” chairman John Byrne says, “and we’ve had a lot of positive feedback because of that. We fundraised and spent the money as we had it. So far, we’ve raised €20,000 and this has been mostly spent. We’ve had small grants from Wexford County Council, the Carnsore Windfarm Development Fund, as well as a parish donation and private donations, which are all much appreciated. Equipment, like the kitchen and toilets, has also been donated, which is great. So many people have contributed time and skills too.”
Fundraising
Fundraising included an Irish night, a bale push and an Operation Transformation event in the school earlier this year, Tom Gaul, another of the seven-strong committee says.
“All the events have been great for getting the community together. Instead of just seeing people driving by, everyone in the locality is now getting to know one another a bit better.”
Hotel manager and “blow-in” Tommy Doyle, is certain that the renovation has lifted morale in the area.
“It’s about putting a heart back into the village, which has been eroded over time,” he says.
“We only had a church and pub left before we started this and now we’ve a meeting place and a reason for people to come together.”
There are plans to highlight the area’s history in the Old School Hall in the next phase of the project.
“It’s an area rich in history and we will be displaying the story of Tacumshane in the Old School,” John Byrne, a recently local authority official, says.
“Commodore John Barry was born in this area and there’s a windmill of note here too. It’s a national monument that many people don’t know about, built in 1846 out of driftwood and timber from shipwrecks. It also has an unusual rotating cap and was used by locals to grind corn here until 1936. We also have Tacumshane lake, a lagoon that, along with Lady’s Island Lake, is a migration hot spot for wading birds and a hugely important place for bird-watchers nationally and beyond.”
Folk memories will be preserved too, the committee says, with older residents contributing their stories of the school and the area in the future. Already, exercise classes, knitting classes, regular coffee mornings and the thrift fund collection take place in the hall, and there are plans for storytelling nights, card nights and a book club this winter.
Audrey Devereux, committee treasurer, who farms locally, also wants the Old School Hall to have facilities for young people in the future.
“We’re thinking of a tennis court and basketball court at the back in time to come, as well as landscaping to soften the whole area,” she says.
Advice
Does the group have any advice for people in other villages who want to tackle a community project?
Committee members gave this advice:
1. You need a central objective to get people together. It helps to have something physical in mind, like doing up a building – a hall or ball alley or historic building – so that you can see results locally and get people behind the project. In our case, it was an unused school.2. You have to show that you have a plan, that you are already active and achieving things, in order to attract financial support. You must show community involvement – that the project is being led from the ground up. This will give you status for fund attraction. We are now at the stage of being able to show the State and European sources that we’ve already attracted some local funding.3. There is no immediate need to be a registered charity or a limited company, although both or either does help you, especially if you’re going after substantial funding. If you can show the State that you are a non-profit body and have received local, voluntary funding, then you can become a registered charity. You can then apply for funding from various State sources and possibly even European Regional Development funding under the Government’s Rural Development (LEADER) Programme. 4. A strong committee is needed, with a diverse range of skills. It should include people native to the area and people who have settled in the area. Each will be a driver of the project in his or her own way.5. Fundraise as you go rather than the stress of borrowing. 6. Keep the community informed of what you’re doing as you go. As residents see the work progressing and the value of the facility, they will hopefully support and use the building into the future. See Tacumshane Old School Development Facebook page for more information.
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