Old phone booth finds its calling in new Laois digital hub

A mix of the old and new come together at a new digital hub in Laois with an old-style phone box serving a brand new purpose.

Mountmellick Development Association (MDA) is preparing to open its Webmill at the end of the month and there are some interesting finishing touches bringing the space to life.

The Webmill is a coworking digital hub with 44 desks located in the MDA Business Park, Irishtown, Mountmellick.
The facility is a modern space with desks, meeting rooms, chill area, canteen and privacy booths. There is parking, on-campus restaurant, crèche, river walk and a community park too.

The fun and character behind the MDA project shine through in the phone boxes that have been designed to serve as private call spaces within the hive of activity of the digital hub.

Where people once would have used a ‘telefon’ box to use a payphone now they will be used as private spaces for mobile calls in the hub.

With flexible hotdesks and virtual offices, the private space offers somewhere to make a quiet phone call for those using the open plan coworking facility.

The Webmill came about from an analysis of the needs of commuters leaving the county and the escalating costs of conducting business in Dublin.

MDA Facility Manager Paddy Buggy has said he hopes this triggers a turning point in the fortunes of Mountmellick, once known as the Manchester of Ireland.

The Webmill will officially open on Tuesday, July 30.

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