€7 million allocated to transform the Old Letterkenny Courthouse

Donegal County Council has been allocated €7 million to transform the old Letterkenny Courthouse into a multi-functional education, entertainment and culture centre.

The allocation is part of a €90 million funding packing announced by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne under THRIVE – the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme.

Welcoming the announcement, Donegal Minister of State, Charlie McConalogue, said: “This is a great example of how such a well-known and iconic building can be restored and redeveloped into something that will serve to help a town and region.

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“Education, entertainment and culture play a huge role in the life and economy of Letterkenny. And given its close proximity to a number of major attractions such as Glenveagh National Park, Errigal Mountain, Fanad Lighthouse, Ards Forest Park and An Grianán of Aileach, Letterkenny has become a major hub for tourism in the region.”

“And being very much at the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way, Letterkenny now has a fantastic opportunity to develop further as a tourist destination through this exciting project.

“The Old Courthouse is a landmark building that was acquired by Donegal County Council a number of years ago. Situated in the heart of Letterkenny town, it is ideally located to be transformed into a tourism and cultural centre,” the Minister of State for Sport and Postal Policy added.

The Department has said it hopes that all 19 THRIVE projects will commence towards the end of 2025.

“I very much look forward to works commencing on the Old Letterkenny Courthouse. When complete, this new centre is sure to add vibrancy and activity to Justice Walsh Road and Upper Main Street.

“I’d like to acknowledge the help and assistance of Minister Browne and his team for securing significant funding for this Donegal project and I wish everyone involved with the transformational works well,” Minister McConalogue commented.

THRIVE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme and the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 21-27.

The scheme has been co-designed by the Regional Assemblies and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to address European, national and regional policy objective.

Letterkenny Town Mayor Ciaran Brogan added: “This is great news for us all in Letterkenny area, as local councillors we’ve been working on this project now for sometime with our own Donegal County Council- Letterkenny Regeneration Team who carried out extensive consultation with all the stakeholders and it’s a strong vote of confidence in their work that we have been rewarded with this level of funding for this project development.

“I believe this project has so much potential for the town centre of Letterkenny, Donegal and the North-West Region, with the strong partnership approach with all the relevant stakeholders, this has the potential for so many new opportunities while promoting and showcasing what we have to offer in tourism in this area.”