They are small, incremental steps: a visitor centre, a coffee shop, road improvements and a new playground.
There’s even a memorial to commemorate those who left northwest Mayo in the 1880s, their voyage to United States and Canada financed by the ‘Tuke Fund’, named after the generous Quaker from York who was moved to action by the hunger and poverty he witnessed in the county.
Some element of that generous spirit has filtered down the years and the generations, finding expression today in groups such as Deirbhile Development Cooperative, or Comharchumann Forbatha Ionad Deirbhile Eachléim Teoranta, to give them their full title.
The group was established in 1996 with the central aim of fostering Irish language usage in this Gaeltacht area and beyond. Situated close to Belmullet on Mayo’s spectacular northwestern coast, the cooperative’s work has extended naturally over the years into the development of local amenities.
Thus, they recently took on the refurbishment and expansion of facilities in the local community centre, developing a heritage centre as part of that work. The 60 year old community centre was badly in need of upgrade and lacked basics such as heating, which meant it had limited use as a community amenity.
The cooperative approached Clann Credo for support and an assessment of the project found strong local demand for the refurbished centre, particularly as there were no similar facilities in the area.
The refurbished centre was to include training rooms, a moveable stage, shower rooms and office space, thus providing more space for community activity and delivering a genuine social dividend for the locality and the wider region.
Location: Blacksod, Co. Mayo
Website:
http://ionaddeirbhile.ie/