Construction of new Ballyboy community hall to begin later this year

Construction of a long-awaited new community hall in Ballyboy, near Kilcormac, is expected to begin later this year, marking a major milestone for the Offaly village after years of fundraising and planning by local volunteers.

The project is being spearheaded by Ballyboy Community Development and Tidy Towns, the voluntary organisation behind the initiative to provide a modern community facility for local residents.

The plans for the new hall, approved in August 2023, involved the demolition of the existing derelict community hall, which took place in January 2024.

The new facility will include a main hall, meeting room, kitchen, office, storage areas, toilets and a partial basement storage space.

External works will include a new entrance, car park, footpaths, landscaping, a septic tank and drainage infrastructure. The development will take place within the curtilage of a National Monument, with all necessary planning approvals in place.

Over the past number of years, the committee has organised a series of successful fundraising events to help finance the project, including the popular Dyno Days in 2022 and 2023, followed by the Family Fun Day and Pig Racing event in 2024.

This year, the group's sole fundraiser is a cash raffle, with all proceeds going directly towards the construction of the new community hall. Tickets cost €5.

The raffle offers a top prize of €1,000, a second prize of €500, and a two-night bed and breakfast stay with one evening meal at the Coach House Hotel in Oranmore. A number of additional prizes will also be up for grabs.

The draw will take place on Friday, August 14, at a prize winners' event in Dan & Molly's Bar, Ballyboy, beginning at 10pm following the village's annual Golf Classic.