Grants helped ‘breathe new life’ into vacant mill to turn it into Kinsale’s new library

THE €4.8m renovation of a 19th century mill in the heart of Kinsale and its transformation into a state-of-the-art library and cultural space was opened officially yesterday by Community and Rural Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys.

The project to repurpose the coastal town’s Old Mill received €2.17m from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and €2.6m from Cork County Council.

Minister Humphreys said she was delighted that a grant from her Department was used to bring the old building in Kinsale back to life.

“This is what the RRDF is all about — tackling vacancy and dereliction and breathing new life into our rural town centres.

“Kinsale is also now host to Ireland’s newest library,” said the minister.

“It’s a facility that will do so much in terms of providing a wonderful library, community and cultural venue and bringing people of all ages together.”

The RRDF investment, a statement from the Community and Rural Affairs Department said, was consistent with the objectives of two of the ministry’s key policies, Our Rural Future and Town Centre First.

Those policies aim to attract more people to live, work, invest in and enjoy rural towns through strategic regeneration.

Later yesterday, Ms Humphreys visited Ballydesmond to open the north Cork village’s new ‘Pocket Park’, a project to improve the village centre which received RRDF funding of almost €870,000.

As well as funding the new park, the support from the department aided the delivery of much needed public realm improvements and recreational amenities for the community.

“This new park has provided a vibrant, attractive space for the local community to gather, socialise, exercise or simply relax,” said the minister.

“Cork today is benefiting from an investment of almost €5.8 million, which really will make such a difference to the communities of Kinsale, Ballydesmond, and beyond.”