The rise of the community café in rural Ireland
The Mill Cafe was established in 2019 in Cloonacool in South Sligo. Picture: Pat McCarrick
In certain rural parishes, a new phenomenon has appeared: the community café. Usually arising in the aftermath of local shop and pub closures, these hubs present communities with a place to meet, socialise and, of course, enjoy a warm cuppa.
Four such community cafés exist in south Sligo alone and all of them are overlooked by the Ox Mountains. They are: The Mill Café in Cloonacool, Three Hills Café at Knocknashee, Café Fia in Coolaney and another at the Ox Mountain Development Centre near Aclare.
A community café is typically a space run by volunteers, providing simple food at an affordable price to those in the local community. The concept has grown in response to rural decline. Shops and pubs that once served as social hubs have faded from the landscape and as a result, a vital social service was lost to certain people. Those living alone, those without transport or those who simply needed to see another face each day to maintain their mental wellbeing, were left isolated.
Thankfully, it was often the case that such communities had at their disposal community centres or development spaces of some sort. It was in these spaces that community cafés were born. No major investment was required, the provisions being offered were easily created and managed and all that was needed after that was a cosy room and a kettle.
The concept of community cafés first came to prominence over twenty years ago in rural County Wicklow. Isolation and a need to connect encouraged local communities there to deal with the issues head-on. The simplest and quickest way to solve the problem was to create a convenient and accessible place for local people to meet, eat and maybe buy a few provisions.
In late 2018, such a need was identified in the south Sligo village of Cloonacool. After a community think-tank session, it was decided to create a community café in the parish. A space was available in the local community centre, the facility already had an excellent kitchen and a host of weekend volunteers completed the requirements. The Mill Community Café opened its doors for the first time in March 2019.
Apart from a break enforced by the Covid crisis, the café has been in continuous operation ever since. The café is managed by four key volunteers, who outlined in a recent article how their project came about.
Initially, a table quiz raised enough to buy essentials like tablecloths, teapots, coffee pots and crockery. Willing local bakers were signed up and a call for volunteer workers got a very good response. Early on, opening times were Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 2pm, but within a couple of months, volunteers suggested that Friday opening should be explored. The group's information piece explains how word spread.
Like all such community cafés, the Mill Community Café has become a meeting place for friends, a place for families to have an affordable treat, a new space for local teenagers to meet and a bonus stop for passing tourists. Local people, both customers and volunteers, got to know each other because their paths crossed in a way that they hadn’t previously. If you live in a rural community and you’re not part of the school, the church or the GAA, it can still be difficult enough to meet people.
Knocknashee Community Hub is an exciting community project that began in 2020 when a property that had previously been a thriving Bar and Restaurant came onto the market. Whilst the building had been disused for several years, the local community believed it could be brought back to its former glory.
A volunteer committee was established and enough money was raised to enable the purchase of the facility with the aim of making it into a civic space for the community. The property was secured in September 2020 and with a large group of willing volunteers, the new project was soon ready to start!
One of the first parts of the Knocknashee project to be realised was the creation of a community café. Today, their Three Hills Café is open to the public and is a major focal point in the community. This café now also hosts a monthly music session on the first Friday of every month. The group is justifiably proud of their progress to date.
Situated in a central location within County Sligo, the village of Coolaney and its surroundings have witnessed a major population boom over the last 20 years. Coolaney's growth has been complemented by a terrific community spirit, and its progress in recent years is the envy of many similar-sized areas in the region.
Operating since 2016 under the name Café Fia (named after the red deer who roam the nearby mountains), the community initiative has been a major success, leading to the creation of a permanent, state-of-the-art facility. Café Fia is open most weekends, and times are advertised in their social media outlets.
The Ox Mountain Heritage and Outdoor Pursuits Centre near Aclare also hosts a community café which is currently open daily. Their facility, situated at Drummartin, close to the shores of Lough Talt, is also available to hire for meetings, events and parties. It is an ideal base for those who might like to take on the very rewarding, local trekking routes in that region.
In recent weeks a community café governing body has been inaugurated to bring all such cafés under a national umbrella. This group hopes to position themselves where they can lobby government for financial support and additional concessions.
It seems the concept of the community café is well and truly established in rural Ireland. The whole process has been a lesson in empowerment; people maintaining what is essential to living in a rural community.
