Labane hall returned to former glory

THE Loughnane and Quinn Memorial Hall in Labane secured a prize at the Galway County Heritage Awards recently but this was not the only highlight in what was a very busy year for the committee.
“2009 has ended very well for the committee, despite a long and very trying year. On Wednesday, December 2 the committee won second place in the Galway County Heritage Awards in the Loughrea Electoral Area. There was stiff competition for this prize and it was a well-deserved win for members of the committee and of the community, who have worked tirelessly for a number of years to bring the hall back to its former glory,” Philip Gleeson, the hall’s PRO told The Clare Champion.
“Most notable of this year’s highlights was the refurbishment of the hall in time for the ordination of local man Fr Martin Whelan. This was a huge event in the life of the whole community,” he continued.
Much restoration work has been done on the hall in recent years.
“Works have been carried out on a priority basis. The first priority was to bring the building up to the required fire standards. Cosmetic refurbishments were delayed on the basis that if the fire officer closed the building down, they were of little advantage. If the hall was closed down, all the stakeholders would have been affected in a negative way. This would have caused further problems as the finance streams generated by having the hall available would have disappeared,” Philip explained.
The hall in Labane is steeped in history. The original building, St Teresa’s Hall, was burned down by the Black and Tans in the early part of the last century, according to Philip.
“The compensation for the burning of this building was used to build Ardrahan National School. This school still stands today, in a larger format, after recent extensions. Edward Martyn and Shaw Taylor gave the community of Ardrahan loans to build a community hall and the local community also raised funds both locally and nationally. Each household in the community gave a loan of five pounds towards the building of this hall. When these loans were being repaid, many households refused to take the money. One famous quote from a housewife at the time was ‘I needed it more when I gave it to the hall than I do now’. People from the community raising the money nationally used bicycles to tour the country and some of these are still alive and hearty today,” Philip continued.
The name of the hall is particularly significant in the area.
“In 1922, the young Loughnane brothers were brought from Shanaglish and killed in Ardrahan. Mrs Quinn, while pregnant and carrying a baby in her arms, was also killed at Corker in Kiltartan. The community hall was named as a memorial to these people. The community hall was built in 1939 and the architect was Mathias (Mathew) Sarsfield. His family still live in Galway and some now live in the community of Ardrahan,” Philip revealed.
Stone from the original hall was used in the building of the new hall up to window level. In the 1970s, the hall fell into a state of disrepair and the modern day committee was formed. The chairman of the committee has held the position since 1988.
The recent work on the building was undertaken after an engineer’s report in 2004 outlined the serious works that needed to be carried out in order to keep the fabric of the building intact. Funding and goodwill were key to work taking place on the hall.
“The committee fundraised and was grant aided to a large degree, again with huge involvement from the community. Since the engineer’s report of 2004, the rapid decline in the fabric and integrity of this building has been halted and improved by the current committee. The committee were under huge pressure to have the hall presentable for the ordination of Fr Martin Whelan. These works were done by the community of Ardrahan and surrounds. Tradesmen offered their services free of charge in some cases and others on the understanding that they might not be paid until funds were released. Materials were provided by several local businesses who knew that the committee have the funds,” Philip concluded.
The committee plans to hold a fundraising céilí in Kilbeacanty in the near future.