DARC Mobile Cinema

DARC AGM

Drama for DARC

The Blue Devon function room will be presenting three one-act plays in aid of DARC on Thursday November 29th and Friday November 30th in aid of DARC, the Dromahair Arts & Recreation Centre.

The shows start at 8.30pm. 

Shh!

Next Sunday, 11th November, will see five Dromahair ladies endeavouring to stay silent for two hours to raise funds for DARC, the Dromahair Arts & Recreation Centre. Shirley Gallagher, Roisin Campbell, Marie McGourty, Ger Kelly and Pat Dolan will be keeping it zipped, if all goes according to plan, in the foyer of the Clubhouse Bar from 12.30 to 2.30 pm. Of course there are those who say it can't be done - Father McTiernan says "it'll be a miracle" - and he should know! 

If you'd like to help with the fundraising, you can print off the sponsorship card below, or else just come along to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event and to support the girls.

DARC Meeting

The DARC Committee is holding a public meeting on Friday next 28th @ 9.15 pm in Blue Devon Function Room.  The main item on the Agenda is the transfer of The Park from The Park Trustees on behalf of Dept of Agriculture to DARC.  We encourage as many people as possible from Dromahair, Newtownmanor, Killargue, Killenummery, and Ardvarney to attend to show their support for this important community project.

DARC want to thank all the people of Dromahair, Killargue, Ardvarney, Killenummery and Newtownmanor for the welcome and encouragement they had for all the teams of DARC collectors. We wish to thank all those households that have given such support to this project to date. Representatives will be finalising collection in the areas over the next two weeks. For those people who were to drop envelopes into the Surgery, we ask if that can be done within the next week . Many Thanks once again.

A message from the DARC side

Thanking all the people in Dromahair, Ardvarney, Killargue, Killenummery and Newtownmanor for making all the DARC collectors feel so welcome at their doors and for the support received to date which today stands at €120,000. The collection teams will be working hard to get back to houses within the next two weeks. Envelopes can also be left into Dromahair Primary Care Centre. Many thanks once again to everyone.

DARC Update

It has been a little over three weeks since the DARC volunteers began knocking on our doors seeking donations for this wonderful community project. As 96% of the Diary's readers voted in favour of the DARC in our recent poll, we know that this is something the community of Dromahair wants, as well as needs. It is no surprise then that the volunteers have been getting a great response on the doorsteps, and already the donations have begun to arrive. Some €24,000 has been raised as of yesterday, in addition to the €50,000 already raised by last year's scrap metal collection.

Thermometers showing the collection's progress have been erected at Gillmor's, McGoldrick's Londis and in the Park. It is hoped to have all envelopes collected by 24th September. Any donations not collected by this date can be left in to the Primary Care Centre in Dromahair. Receipts for donations will begin to issue shortly.

The DARC project itself has been open for tenders since last weekend and already there have been an amazing 29 expressions of interest from construction companies. The cut-off date for tenders is 29th August next. Once the tendering process is complete decisions can be made about the final shape and cost of the proposed development. Exciting times!

DARC on the Doorstep

Beginning this week, volunteers will be visiting every home in the parish of Dromahair on behalf of DARC (Dromahair Arts & Recreation Centre). Readers of the Diary will recall that last month's public meeting in the Blue Devon was told that there may a shortfall in the region of €250,000 in funding for the proposed sports and recreation facility in the Park. This shortfall would have to be met by the community, either by donation or by fundraising. So, from this evening, DARC volunteers will be calling to homes to give households the opportunity to contribute to this most worthwhile project for the benefit of our community. Donations can be made by cash, by cheque or by standing order. All the necessary paperwork will be provided and any questions will be answered by your local volunteers. Further information about the DARC project can be found at www.dromahairarc.com

So Dig Deep for the DARC - remember this is for the benefit of our whole community!

DARC in the Park

Dromahair Arts & Recreation
Centre is a proposed community
facility funded by the community
for the well being of all walks of life in the community.

Check out the DARC website now at dromahairarc.com and donate by PayPal here.

 

Dig Deep for the DARC

Below are the bank account details for the DARC (Dromahair Arts and Recreational Centre), a facility we desperately need in our village. If you would like to make a donation to this worthy cause, it would be greatly appreciated.

AIB Sligo

Sort Code 93-72-58

Account No. 28413039

The committee hope to have a PayPal account up and running shortly. Details will be posted here and on the DARC facebook page.

Dromahair Arts & Recreation Centre - Is Féidir Linn

The proposed new Dromahair Arts & Recreation Centre

There was a large turnout for the DARC meeting last night in the Blue Devon. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Gerry Ballantine, with committee members Jim Meehan, Eileen Clinton and Mary Gordon also attending. DARC is the group which is aiming to develop the current Dromahair Park facility into a multi-purpose sports and recreational complex. Set up in April 2010 this dynamic group has to date secured the purchase of land adjacent to the existing Park and obtained planning permission for re-development to include a multi-surfaced sports area, training pitch, playground, outdoor gym and a walkway/running track. It has raised in excess of €50,000 by means of a scrap metal collection, and plans to raise considerably more to complete the project.

After Gerry Ballantine opened the meeting, Tara Neimeyer, Rory Kelly, Bernie McBride, Tom Cullen and Mary Ellen Ward spoke of their reasons for supporting the Park's development. These included the needs locally for a children's playground, for facilities for GAA players to train and play, for a track where athletes could train, for somewhere safe for older members of our community to exercise, for dog-walking facilities and for a place where young people could channel their energies. This would be an amenity for all of us, young and old, GAA or soccer or tennis playing, with children or without. A facility owned by the community for the benefit of all its members.

Gerry Ballantine and Jim Meehan explained that although applications for significant grant funding have been made to various bodies, including the Sports Council and Leitrim Development Company, there will be a shortfall in the region of €250,000, which will have to be raised by the community of Dromahair. Doctor Ballantine stressed that although planning permission has been granted, it is no guarantee of delivery. He said that the project would live or die with the wishes of the people. If the community does not get involved Dr. Ballantine does not believe the facility can be delivered. He fervently believes however that Dromahair needs this facility to cater for the physical and mental health and welfare of our village now and in the future. What we do here, he said, will impact on generations to come.

With strong emphasis on the point that the proposed DARC facility is not a luxury, but a necessity, and with an awareness of the austerity affecting people's lives at present, Gerry Ballantine expressed his conviction that a community can develop with a focal point such as this. If we believe in it, people will find a way of raising funds. Accordingly it is hoped to begin fundraising with door-to-door collections commencing in the next month.

Local councillor John McTiernan spoke of his support for the project and paid tribute to the committee for their hard work in getting things this far. He said he was confident of the group's securing grant aid. This was a view echoed by Senator Michael Comiskey who also pledged his full support.

The bottom line at the meeting however was all about money. Jim Meehan makes no bones about it: this will be an expensive project, but worth it. As Gerry Ballantine asked, would you pay a week's wages to have a facility such as this on your doorstep? Various questions and suggestions came from the assembled audience: How much will each household be expected to contribute? There is no fixed amount, but realistically the average appears to be in the region of €300 - €500. This is not a tax however, and people are free to contribute as much or as little as they see fit, in complete confidence. Can payment be made on a phased basis? Jim explained that the committee would prefer to have the money "up-front" and so avoid bridging finance charges, but would be willing to accept payments in any possible manner. Has corporate sponsorship or individual sponsorship been considered? What about selling naming rights to the Park? Has the group thought of harnessing the goodwill of Dromahair natives abroad? The committee is open to any and all suggestions.

Concerns were raised about charitable status for the group, as tax relief could make corporate donations more attractive. This apparently is already in train. Margaret Sharkey also raised the issue of the timing of Leader funding, which gives somes urgency to the fundraising. A suggestion was made about setting up a website with a Paypal account for making payment directly to the DARC bank account. The formation of a special fundraising committee, separate to the existing finance committee was mooted. 

In conclusion, Gerry Ballantine said it was his belief that the funds required could not be raised through lots of small events, and had to come directly from the community. The committee has worked tirelessly for the past two years and is in danger of suffering fatigue if progress is not made quickly. Therefore it is vital that the community row in behind the DARC group. Tom Cullen said we should be far more positive. We must do it. Ger Kelly cited the recent Demons Festival, where community groups worked, as she put it, supporting each other and supporting ourselves. She exhorted us to remember: Is Féidir Linn.

So can we do it? I believe Dromahair would suffer if this facility were not provided. I believe we have to have it, for our children and for their children. Therefore we have to find the money to pay for it. Times are tough but as the good Doctor says, this is not a luxury. We have to dig deep, for an extremely worthy cause, for our community, close to home. As Tom Cullen said: we must. As Ger Kelly said: we can.

The Diary will be publishing the bank account details for the Dromahair Arts & Recreation Centre in the next day or two, for anyone, home or abroad, who wishes to make a donation.

DARC Newsletter

Check out the first issue of the DARC newsletter, which should be in your letterboxes soon.

And don't forget the public information meeting on Friday at 9.30pm, Blue Devon function room.

DARC Meeting

There will be a public information meeting regarding progress to date of Dromahair's Art and Recreation Centre and details of plans in the Blue Devon Function Room on Friday 29th of June 2012 at 9.30 pm sharp.