Glenbrohane Local Hub to open January 2022

Members of the Glenbrohane Community Association receiving a donation for the new Local Hub.

The new Glenbrohane Local Hub is in the final stages of construction, with an opening date of January 2022 confirmed by Ballyhoura Development. The new hub will be located in the heart of Glenobrane village. 

The Local Hub has been a project of passion for the Glenbrohane Community Association over the past number of years. The community has long been affected by a lack of amenities and social opportunity. 

Ballyhoura Development officer David Whyte spoke to I Love Limerick about the new Local Hub. 

“This development has been coming for a long time. The story of Glenbrohane has been repeated in a lot of places in rural Ireland. Over the years there have been many closures in the community. There used to be multiple bars and now there’s just one. The church is at one end of the village and the school is at the other, and there’s not much left in the centre, not even a shop. 

“There’s been a lot of problems around mental health and social isolation locally. That’s really where the idea for the hub came from.”

The new hub is located next to the existing community centre building and will provide locals with a space to meet up, shop or just have a cup of tea.

A cafe and dining area at the front of the hub will double up as a meeting room after hours. The ‘hobby house’ at the rear of the hub will operate as a Men’s Shed, with DIY and furniture making courses taking place, as well as other community classes such as yoga and mindfulness. Office space will also be available, with the idea of facilitating remote working for villagers. 

A commercial kitchen will allow catering businesses to operate in the village, perhaps providing food for events at the adjacent community centre. 

“It’s been very exciting with every milestone,” said Mr White. 

“The hub is really a credit to the Glenbrohane Community Association and its chairperson Grace Moore, they have been working at this for years and years, from developing the idea to community planning and deciding what was needed.”

The project was propelled when awarded over €500,000 as part of the Rural Regeneration Development Plan. As a result, Ballyhoura Development was appointed to project manage the build. 

Mr Whyte is confident that the Local Hub will be open for business next January.

“Covid has been a challenge, but the Local Hub Committee and Ballyhoura Development have kept the project rolling. When construction was closed, there was ongoing work in service design, how the layout was going to work, and what we wanted the hub to be,” said Mr Whyte.

Find out more about the Glenbrohane Local Hub HERE

For more stories on Ballyhoura Development go HERE

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