Grant of €58,000 helps refurbish Rathkenny hall

Rathkenny Community Hall has recently been granted almost €58,000 in Leader funding. The money, which is administered by Meath Partnership, was provided to the community centre to rewire the entire building and for essential repair works to the roof. Since the early 1950s, the hall has been at the centre of community life in Rathkenny. From its opening by Minister Sean Mac Bride during Easter 1952 to the present day, it has never closed its doors. Marion Devin, treasurer of the current committee, believes it is the commitment of the community that ensures the continued success of the centre. "It always had a great and dedicated committee here to keep the whole thing going like clockwork," she said. The community centre is a very important part of life in Rathkenny and the surrounding areas. It serves a large catchment area and is a hive of activity on any day of the week. "Sometimes you'd be juggling the schedule, getting everybody who wants to use it accommodated," she added. The hall hosts a large number of activities from keep fit, bingo, dancing to cards, cinema and youth discos. It's also home to the celebrated Rathkenny Revels, a mother and toddler group, an environmental committee as well as many other local clubs. The repair works on the centre began in June of this year. "There were large cracks appearing on the roof, so it was in bad need of repair. The electrical wiring was very old so we decided on doing those two things together," Marion Devin explained. "Applying for the grant was a little daunting at first as there was quite a bit of paperwork to be completed, but Una in Meath Partnership was absolutely brilliant. She made it so easy and there was nothing that couldn't be worked through. "We were also very lucky with the contractors. They really stuck at it and did everything to the highest standards. The hall was only closed for three weeks in total, so it all went very well," she added. Meath Partnership offers grants at a rate of 75 per cent to community groups for capital costs. It has also recently funded the Le Cheile festival in Oldcastle and Navan Choral Festival to the tune of €10,500 in total. Anyone who would like more information on applying for funding should contact Meath Partnership on (046) 928 0790 or email info@meathpartnership.ie