Cork town’s mission to transform former parochial hall into theatre 

A town known for its culture and heritage, it is perhaps surprising to learn that Cobh does not have its own theatre.

Currently, plays and other performances take place in various locations scattered across the town, but local dramatists have no place to call home.

The team behind the Great Island Theatre campaign are eager to change this.

Theatre has a long history in the area. A little theatre on Haulbowline Island – established in 1956 - was home to the Haulbowline Theatre Group from its formation in 1963 until 2014, when the structure was deemed unsafe and reclaimed by the naval service.

Then, as Anne Moroney, PR Officer of the Great Island Theatre steering group, explains, “the Haulbowline Theatre Group was basically homeless”.

“But within the theatre group”, adds Anne, “there were a lot of very passionate people that continued on. They rehearsed in their own houses, they staged plays anywhere they could get – the Commodore Hotel, the GAA club, the Sirius Arts Centre... They were able to put plays into various drama festivals and were very successful around the country.”

The group’s resilience has translated into a passion for establishing a permanent home in Cobh, which is how the idea for the Great Island Theatre was born. The Haulbowline Theatre Group will be in residence at the new space.

In 2024, the group – now an official Great Island Theatre steering group – identified a suitable building to house their auditorium.

“It’s called the Old Parochial Hall,” says Anne. “It was built in 1937 by the Church of Ireland and it was meant to be a place for people to gather.”

It is fitting that a building intended for communal activity should become a theatre for the local community in Cobh.

More recently, the hall was used by an engineering company, but when it came up for sale a few years ago, the steering group saw its potential as a 100-seater venue.

“Some very generous people in the community offered money to the group to purchase the building in trust,” says Anne.

The group is very thankful for all donations and support that it has received so far from the community in its efforts to establish the theatre, including some major donors.

Local couple David and Heather Bird have donated €30,000 towards the purchase of the Old Parochial Hall, and Cobh Inspire Credit Union have donated €20,000 to the campaign.

Moreover, individuals and businesses from the wider Cobh community have shown their support over the last 12 months through the purchase of commemorative seat plaques - 100 have now been sold – a plaque for every seat – raising €10,000 for the cause. Future visitors to the theatre may even spot a famous name on the back of one of the seats, as Anne reveals: “Our own Sonia O’Sullivan has pledged a seat!”

Proud Cobh woman Sonia is a supporter of the campaign and the need for a dedicated performing arts space in the town. “Her field is in sport, but she spoke about the importance of the place in the community for young people. Not everybody wants to kick a ball or run... She wants to emphasise how important it is for young people to have a space for culture.”

Sonia will also lead a run in aid of the theatre campaign – dates to be confirmed – where participants will leave from the Old Parochial Hall dressed in theatrical gear. There are plenty of other fundraising initiatives in the diary, too – tickets are currently on sale for a Male Voice Choirs performance on February 27 featuring the Molgoggers and the Kiltha Tones, and including a special short sketch by David McCall and the Haulbowline Theatre Group.

Plans are also afoot to hold a ‘self-care Sunday’ on March 29 – ideal for anyone looking for a bit of rest and relaxation after a busy start to the year.

And another well-known Cobh native, Laurence Olivier Award-winning actor Pat Kinevane, has pledged his support for the theatre with the staging of three plays over three nights in the town this coming spring.

Anyone wishing to support the Great Island Theatre campaign can purchase tickets for an upcoming event – details of which are kept up to date on the group’s website.

For anyone who wants to go a step further and leave a legacy with the theatre, but who may have missed out on the opportunity to pledge a seat, the group is also offering commemorative wall plaques. These are still available in exchange for a €1,000 pledge.

“You can get your family name on a plaque,” explains Anne, who has pledged a seat for her family in honour of her father, who was involved in acting in his youth. “Your family name, your business name, or maybe do it in honour of somebody who has passed.”

These plaques will be there for future generations to see as they visit the Great Island Theatre – a powerful legacy for arts lovers in the town of Cobh and beyond.

A huge amount of fundraising has been achieved by the Friends of Great Island Theatre group – the official name of the fundraising arm of the wider group – in the mere two years since the identification of the Old Parochial Hall as a venue. The steering group itself has also been hugely busy, successfully securing planning permission for the necessary renovations to the building, and attaining charitable status for the project.

Without the generous donations of the local community, and stellar work of the steering group - Eoin Gilley, David McCall, Pat Mahony, Dominic Finn, Deirdre Bardsley and Anne herself – this project would never have got off the ground. Each member of the group has brought their own skills to the job – architecture, administration, finance, PR, etc – and is driven by a passion for theatre, the arts, and their local community in Cobh. They acknowledge that there is still a lot more to do between now and the theatre opening its doors, which they hope will happen in about two years’ time.

“We’re a quarter of the ways there.” says Anne. “We’re in the process of getting the building transferred into the Great Island Theatre name, and at that stage we’ll be able to apply for grants. And then after that it will be renovations.”

The Old Parochial Hall is not a listed building, and it is structurally sound. However, as an old building, there are a few stipulations around the planning, so a heritage engineer will be needed for the project. Major renovations are needed to waterproof the building and install the necessary sound systems, lighting, dressing rooms, disability access, and so on. It is likely to be a costly job.

“It would be amazing if there was anyone out there in a position to come behind us and grant us [funds] in any of that area,” says Anne.

The vision for the Great Island Theatre is that it will be a creative hub for the people of Cobh – not just home to the Haulbowline Theatre Group, but a venue for Comhaltas Ceoltóirí, cinema, comedy, dance, visiting performers, creative writing groups and art exhibitions.

A true community space at the heart of one of Cork’s most vibrant towns.

• To support the Great Island Theatre campaign, visit https://www.greatislandtheatre.ie/ or get in touch via email at info@greatislandtheatre.ie.