Community the real winner as Davitts expands its facilities
At the official opening of Davitts GAA Club's Remote Working Hubs and Lighted Walkway were, from left, Lawrence Daly, Sabina Trench, Alan Dillon TD, Billy Kearns, Darren McHugh and Barbara Kelly.
Davitts GAA have officially opened their new remote work hub/office space, community lighted walkway and energy conservation and solar panels. The project provides additional facilities for the local community with a safe walking track accessible to all, and a local working remote office facility.
The walkway is already a great success and was used throughout the winter by the local community and members of the club. In conjunction with Operation Transformation, many members of the community met up every Wednesday evening for an hour of exercise and chat, in a safe environment which proved to be very popular during the dark nights. Parents use the walkway while children are training at the club as they are able to watch their children and walk at the same time.
The remote work hub has also generated a lot of interest from local businesses as the cost is low due to solar panels generating energy.
The project was part-funded by Mayo Local Action Group (LAG) by the EU Recovery Instrument Funding under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 with implementation support by South West Mayo Development Company and Leader Initative. The club said it extremely grateful to the groups who provided funding and support for this project, and to its committee who all work extremely hard in improving and keeping the club’s facilities to the high standard that they are.
Davitts secretary Barbara Kelly welcomed the large attendance including Fr O’Connor, Mayo Local Action Group chairman Al McDonnell and Councillor Richard Finn, South West Mayo Development Company chairman Thomas Fitzpatrick, South West Mayo Development Company CEO Sabina Trench, Mayo Local Action Group CEO Deirdre Finnerty, Leader representatives, Norita Clesham, Seán Carolan and Majella Mulchrone, Mayo GAA secretary Ronan Kirrane, local councillors and election candidates, Darren McHugh of McHugh’s Builders, local community groups and businesses, Michael Ring TD, who has been an enormous help to the club down through the years, and Minister Alan Dillon TD who performed the official opening of the new facilities.
Davitts chairman Lawrence Daly, after welcoming everyone, addressed the attendance as to how this whole project came to fruition, beginning in February 2021 when Covid-19 was still a concern and many people were still working from home and elderly people were feeling isolated. Work on the new facilities began in the summer of 2023, and was carried out by local building contractors Pat McHugh and Sons. Once work was completed, it wasn’t long before the facilities were put to good use.
The walkway provides a safe secure place to walk, away from traffic and unlit country roads. Both it and the clubhouse are lit up in the evening time from the energy provided by the solar panels. The individual work hubs offer local people the opportunity to work remotely in a cost effective way but at the same time having the social interaction with others working there.
Lawrence Daly also thanked Tom Daly and O’Conaire Architects who helped greatly with design and paperwork, the committee members and volunteers of Davitts GAA who are continually working to help and support the club in growing and enhancing the facilities, and John Noone and Lucy Daly who look after those facilities on a daily basis.
