Councillor supports new library link to find Donegal Town’s Foróige new home
Cllr Brogan says Donegal Town's Foróige has been told to find different premises
Donegal County Councillor, Jimmy Brogan, told a Donegal Municipal District meeting that youth community group, Foróige, are searching for alternative premises in Donegal Town, due to plans for its building to be put up for sale.
The Foróige facility in Donegal Town is located on Tirchonaill Street. Foróige was established in 1952 and offers a youth-led approach to allow clubs to create a social impact through community projects or build confidence through mentoring.
Speaking to Donegal Live following March’s Donegal MD meeting, Cllr Brogan suggested that plans involving a future Donegal Town library should be linked with combining facilities for groups like Foróige.
Cllr Brogan said: “The building they have been using for the last 16 years in Donegal Town will be put up for sale. The person who owns the building has told them that they intend to sell the building. For that reason, Foróige need to find somewhere else.
“Now they don’t have a final date, so they have a bit of time, but they have been put on notice basically.
“There are between 120 and 150 kids there in Donegal Town, some of whom would have additional needs. There are 46,000 with Foróige nationwide. It is a massive organisation. There are a couple of different groups in Donegal, but the Donegal Town group has to find somewhere else.
“There was a plan about 20 years ago to build a library in Donegal Town which would have included a place for Foróige to be located, but that building never took place. That is why we need the library building in Donegal Town so that groups have a centre they can go to and not be moved out of.
“The Donegal Education Centre moved out of Donegal Town, and if we would’ve had a permanent home at the time, we may have kept the Donegal Education Centre in Donegal Town. That is why we need the library built as soon as possible so that these groups have a permanent home.”