Sun shines as new Laois playground officially opened
‘To the children of Ballyroan, this belongs to you. Our community believes you deserve the best, take care of it, look after each other and have fun’
There was sunshine and smiles aplenty as the community turned out in their droves in Ballyroan for the official opening of the new ‘Croí an Bhaile’ or ‘heart of the village’ playground Tuesday afternoon.
Central to the proceedings was Ballyroan man Cllr Barry Walsh, in a personally important and close-to-home penultimate official engagement as Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council.
“When I accepted the chain of office as Cathaoirleach I pledged that community projects, active living and supporting local projects would be top of my agenda. This is the perfect example of what that vision is in action,” Cllr Walsh told the assembled crowd.
He recalled attending the old school beside the playground and he described the site as a place of “learning, growth and childhood devilment” full of laughter and entertainment.
He said the effort of the community in fundraising and applying for grants would now provide the next generation of children with a safe modern place to stay active and make memories and provide local retirement and active groups a facility to enjoy.
“It makes Ballyroan a more vibrant and attractive and welcoming place,” said Cllr Walsh.
He expressed his gratitude to the builders, Council staff and the community who had transformed a once derelict site into a lively hub for the village.
He outlined the long journey which began in the community hall four years earlier when Cllr John Joe Fennelly and Councillor Walsh approached Fr Paddy Byrne with a view to using the site for the benefit of the village.
A lease agreement was reached and grants were drawn down and fundraising got underway. The project was supported by Laois County Council and in particular through the efforts of Sports and Leisure officer Anne Marie Maher and Town Regeneration Officer, Denise Rainey.
While the playground and Multi- use Games Area are done, Cllr Walsh said there is a final phase to the project which has yet to be completed and that’s to finish out the internal work on the old schoolhouse building in the heart of the village.
“To the children of Ballyroan, this belongs to you. Our community believes you deserve the best, take care of it, look after each other and have fun,” said Cllr Walsh.
Laois County Council Director of Service Angela McEvoy described the project as a testament to the community in Ballyroan. She said the boys school in the centre of Ballyroan had been “an eyesore” before the community took the lead in transforming it into a hub for the village.
Ms McEvoy praised the work of Anne-Marie Maher and Denise Rainey. She said there were now 28 playgrounds in Laois and Ms Maher had helped deliver 24 of them. Ms McEvoy also praised Laois County Council Senior Executive Engineer Wes Wilkinson and his team for all the work they had done in relation to the project.
Chair of Ballyroan Community Development, Mary Whelan, described the occasion as a “momentous day” for Ballyroan. She said Ballyroan had been one of the towns and villages that didn’t have a playground and she thanked the Department of Rural and Community Development, Sol Sports, the developers, the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlan and everyone who assisted with the project.
Ms Whelan said around €900,000 had been spent in capital expenditure on the project but there was no account of all of the volunteer hours and voluntary work which went on behind the scenes. She said the Ballyroan goes to Hollywood fundraiser had brought in an incredible €140,000 towards the project.
A competition was held in Scoil Eoin Phóil Naofa and the school children got to choose the name for the new playground. Six students chose ‘Croí an Bhaile’ or ‘heart of the village’ and they were given a round of applause at the event. Five of the six students explained why they selected the name before the playground was officially opened with a ribbon cutting.