Council provides €200k for Offaly camogie's new training facility

Offaly County Council is to provide funding of €200,000 to Offaly Camogie towards the development of new training facilities in Crinkill, on the outskirts of Birr.

The request for funding, which received the unanimous backing of all 19 elected members of the local authority when it was put forward at the May meeting by Independent councillor John Leahy, is designed to match a Sports Capital Grant of €500,000 which has already been approved for the project.

Cllr Leahy, who was elected this week as the incoming Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, told the Offaly Indepedent that he declined a request from Offaly Camogie to spearhead a fundraising committee to raise funds for the organisation's new training base in Crinkill.

“They were facing a shortfall of €300,000 so I pledged to assist them in securing funds from whatever sources I could, without going down the route of setting up another committee,” he said.

Having secured €50,000 in funding from “a private investor” Cllr Leahy proposed at the May council meeting that €200k be advanced from the local authority to match an approved Sports Capital Grant for the development of the Offaly Camogie training facility. The proposal was seconded by Cllr Peter Ormond and received unanimous support from members. When asked this week about the current status of the funding from the council, Cllr Leahy said it is “in the process” of being transferred to the Camogie Association, and will ensure that the project can proceed without any further delays.

“If the match funding wasn't secured it would be very difficult for Offaly Camogie to complete this ambitious project, which is very badly needed,” said the Kilcormac-based councillor, who has pledged to “leave no stone unturned” in his efforts to secure the additional €50,000 that is still required.

Offaly County Council granted planning permission for a new training base in Crinkill to the Offaly Camogie Association in May of last year, which will see the development of a new grass camogie pitch, a ball wall, fencing and a new walking track, including a maintenance road. The new camogie pitch will include a surrounding fence, two new dugouts, one new ball stop and floodlights.

The new walking track is to be developed to the perimeter of the site, which is located to the rear (east) of the existing Crinkill GAA pitch and will be accessed by the existing entrance and car park on the Boherdeel Road, Ballinree.

The main entrance to the facility will be through the existing Crinkill GAA entrance to the pitch and a proposed new maintenance road and turning area is to run along the northern boundary, using an existing field entrance.

Preliminary works are already underway at the site.