Campaign to bring theatre to Trim is resurrected

Cluain an Dúchas, an umbrella group of arts organisations who are seeking to establish a theatre/teach ceol in Trim, has recently reformed. The group which includes Trim Musical Society, Trim Drama Group, Scurlogstown Olympiad, Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Carney School of Dance and Meath Writers' Group, was established 15 years ago with the aim of bringing a theatre and arts space to the town. Fundraising went on over several years and some €111,000 was raised towards the project through a weekly lotto. The group had not been active in recent years but representatives from each of the organisations recently held a meeting with a view to progressing their plans. Cluain an Dúchas chairperson Danny O'Brien described the meeting as "very positive" and said they were once again looking a the idea of developing a theatre and teach ceol. He said they are also hoping to bring Trim Chamber of Commerce and local businesses on board and that other groups, including Trim 2025, had expressed an interest. Mr O'Brien said: "A lot of tourists come to the town but there isn't anyting to cater for them. We want to get something realistic up and running. We may have been overly ambitious before." He said a lot of people were not aware how much money had been collected and pointed out that there is €111,000 in the kitty. One of the options being looking at is the possibility of refurbishing the town hall, which is currently the venue for drama and musicial productions in the town, but is in a poor state of repair. Following the recent meeting, representatives of the various organisations are going back to their own groups to discuss their ideas and will bring their proposals to Cluain an Dúchas at their next meeting. As well as seeking a premises that can be used by local arts groups, the idea is also to develop a teach ceol that would appeal to the huge numbers of tourists that visit the town.