A change of name and a new lease of life for Dunderry parish hall

The parish hall in Dunderry which was acquired from the Diocese of Meath for the local community has been rebranded with a new name - 'Clady Hall'.

The Board of Directors of Dunderry, Robinstown, Kilbride Community Hall Ltd wanted a name that reflected all three areas that the hall will serve, and settled on the name Clady Hall inspired by the Clady river.

Secretary of the Development Committee Noreen McManus explained they wanted a name that was representative of all three areas of the parish. She said: "It was a parish hall when it was under the Diocese of Meath but now it is a community hall. We didn't want to start this process and for it to default to being Dunderry Hall. It is for the three different areas. We wanted to rebrand and come up with a name that is representative of the whole area.

"The River Clady begins around Kilbride, goes right past the hall and passes Robinstown on its way out through Bective to the Boyne."

The committee had asked the local schools to come up with suggestions and also to design some artwork and Noreen said they came up with some really nice ideas.

Rachel McGovern, a pupil in third class in Dunderry NS came up with a great piece of artwork which they hope to incorporate into their logo.

A new facebook page 'Clady Hall' has been set up and Noreen said the name has been very well received since they announced it.

A massive clear out of the hall also took place recently in advance of works starting.

Noreen said it was a tremendous community effort, and also thanked Dunderry Fair Committee for their help.

"We got all of it cleared and there was a huge amount of stuff moved. Anything of sentimental or historical interest was set aside and anything that can be repurposed or reused was put to one side."

"We judiciously went through it all, we were not just dumping everything. It makes a huge difference as every skip the builder uses is costed back to us."

Noreen said they are currently working with the architect and quantity surveyor to finalise the plan and work out costings.

Funding of €292,000 was granted for the project by Rural Development Minister Heather Humphreys under the Community Centre Investment Fund but it is anticipated that more fundraising will be needed to bring the project to completion.

Under the terms of the grant, the funding must be spent by the end of the year so pressure is on to keep the project moving and it is hoped works will start later in the summer.

Noreen explained that the works will be phased. "The first phase will be to get the doors open and get the main body of the hall usable and also the stage."

"There is a huge amount of space in the building and the second phase will be working on the annexes and rooms that could be used as smaller meeting rooms and hopefully as hot desk areas," said Noreen.

The hall was closed in 2016 due to health and safety concerns and efforts have been continuing since then to bring the hall back into use and make it a community hub once again. It is hoped the hall can reopen early next year.

A speed quiz fundraiser takes place in Horan’s Pub on Saturday, 13th May, this speed quiz sees teams using a device and downloading an app to take part and promises to be a great night.