Connacht Tribune
Newly refurbished Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre looks forward to whole new era
Covid may have brought the curtains down on stage and drama right across the country, but one Galway group has put the downtime to very good use – to re-emerge post-pandemic with one of the finest community theatres in the country.
The voluntary team behind Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre has now unveiled its newly renovated foyer – as they celebrate a decade of stewardship of the building in style.
Works have been ongoing over a number of months to renovate the foyer which was last upgraded in the 1980’s. This has come at a cost of €15,000 – helped in no small way by grants from both the Department of Culture and Galway Rural Development along with the community fundraising since the onset of the pandemic.
The cost of works would also have been much higher were it not for the support of the local CE Scheme – and efforts of volunteers who were so giving of their time.
The upgrade has seen the bar replaced and new box office space installed. Along with a new colour scheme and new carpets, the foyer is now befitting of the magnificent theatre, with its 400-seat raked auditorium, divided between balcony and stalls.
And now that this part of the project has reached fruition, the Theatre committee is ready for the next task – to develop the Town Hall Theatre Society and further integrate the facility with the local community.
“Over the next decade, we hope to build on the status of the Theatre as a community hub at the centre of the Ballinasloe community. We are in the process of renovating office space which we will have available for lease early in the new year,” revealed Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre chairperson, Máire Hughes.
“In addition to our auditorium we also have a number of other spaces in the building which are available for short term rental at competitive prices for various group activities including drama classes, dance classes, yoga, pilates and youth groups among others,” she added.
The voluntary committee – Máire Hughes, Frances Leahy, Gerry Sweeney, Eoin Croffy, Elaine O’Hanlon, Ben Parker, Mary Barber, Elizabeth Affolter and Alan Harney – took over the lease of the theatre from the Diocese of Clonfert in 2011.
And over the past ten years, they have been working tirelessly to safeguard the future of the building.
The first decade was largely focused on securing the structure; a new roof has been installed, the heating system and seats have been upgraded; the public toilets have been refurbished, and the dressing rooms and auditorium have been refreshed.
The building was originally constructed as an agricultural hall in 1845 and since then has served the community in many guises including a cinema, a dentist, a mortuary, two schools and laterally a theatre.
Now, the 400-seat theatre also boasts a massive fly-in room above a raised stage incorporating trap doors, lighting and spotlight gantries. It is a multifunctional space which can host theatrical productions, a cinema or conference space.
The space also hosts the Ballinasloe Country Market, which has recently moved to the artisan alley at the side of the building, each Friday morning.
But the volunteers aren’t resting on their laurels – and to that end they hope to launch a new strategic plan in the new year. Central to this will be developing the Town Hall Theatre Society with a new membership structure planned.
“We have achieved a lot over the last decade and are very pleased to have strong plans for the future,” said Máire.
“However, none of this would have been possible without the incredible support we have received from the local community, Galway County Council and State agencies all of whom who have contributed significantly.
“We are so appreciative of the support we have received particularly since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic which have been devastating for the theatre. We are very pleased to have used some of the money we have received from fundraising for our foyer renovation,” she added.
Máire also wanted to recognise the contribution to building of those now gone – including Brendan Tully, Pat Joe Guinnessy and Pat McGovern – and of Mary O’Connell, who has recently retired as Secretary after many years of dedication to the Theatre.
The Committee is always looking for new volunteers who may be willing to get involved with the theatre.
If you are interested in getting involved with the theatre or in renting some of the available space, get in touch with any member of the committee or email ballinasloetownhalltheatre@gmail.com
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
