Laois village hoping to ease pressure on families with plans for childcare facilities in community hall 

A community in Laois is hoping to ease pressure on parents in the area by developing childcare facilities in their community hall. 

The Shanahoe Community Hall Committee has lodged plans with Laois County Council for the change of use of part of the local community hall for use as a playschool with preschool and after school services. The committee is also seeking permission for a new external fenced play area and all associated site works. 

Shanahoe Community Hall Committee formed in 2019 and is made up of a group of volunteers from the locality.

It was established after the then parish priest called a meeting of local groups to discuss the future viability of the hall, with an ultimatum that the parish hall would cease to function unless a committee was formed and the members took on the responsibility of running the hall. 

In a letter to the Council Sonia McDonnell, Secretary of Shanahoe Community Hall, said: “From this meeting a very active committee was formed becoming a not for profit Shanahoe Community Hall committee. 

“The initial activity was equipping the hall to host events and consultation with the community, researching what they would like to see available in their parish hall. We made great strides and had managed to successfully apply for grant funding to help us get established. In March 2020 Covid 19 hit our country and our plans were temporarily stalled, but the dream of providing a community hub for the people of Shanahoe lived on. We successfully applied for LEADER funding which allowed us to renovate the hall, making it more environmentally friendly, safer to use and ensuring its existence for many years to come. As part of the application we have a lease agreement with the parish and have created Shanahoe Community Hall.”

The committee has hosted many events from  funerals, christenings, gala concerts, Christmas craft fairs, and regular coffee mornings.

“We recently completed the community centre investment fund 2022 where we received funding to replace our kitchen and make the hall more environmentally friendly with LED Lighting,” added Ms McDonnell. 

“Having consulted with the local families, childcare providers and the local national school it has been highlighted for some time that there is a need in Shanahoe for an after school and preschool childcare facility. Shanahoe National School is a small rural school with approx. 65 pupils in attendance. Numbers in the school declined in the 23/24 school year with no children registered for junior infants in mainstream school. 

“We are aware that a lack of childcare in Shanahoe was prohibitive to a number of parents enrolling their children and they were forced to look to bigger towns for education for their children with parallel after  school provision. This trend is putting pressure on the already overcrowded schools in the bigger towns and villages and is creating extra commute times for children and parents. 

“Our intention is to provide a dual use space where a preschool and afterschool service is provided in our existing community hub. This is the next stage of our vision to ensure the continued existence of our village with increasing school enrolment and creating employment opportunities. This will reduce stress on parents and the bigger schools locally and will create employment in a village where we have very few employment opportunities. 

It will also create the opportunity for parents to return to the workplace knowing their children are safe and well taken care of in their own community. This in turn will help to increase the attendance numbers in Scoil Fionntáin Naofa, our local national school.”

The committee said the provision of a fenced outdoor play space is a necessary piece of infrastructure alongside the childcare provision.

“Our intention is to fence off an area of the church car park adjacent  to the hall, land which was kindly gifted to the trustees of the hall by our local parish priest,  Fr. Paddy Byrne,” explained Ms McDonnell.

“The childcare service will run from 1.30 – 6 pm daily during term time. The interest in the area is very positive and the local families are excited to have such a service available to them."

Laois County Council is due to make a decision on the application by January 31, 2025.