Cathedral Quarter: Congratulations to all on Jim Lynch Community Building

We would like to send our heartfelt congratulations to everyone at the Letterkenny Community Centre on the opening of the new Jim Lynch Community Building.

It is a great honour for Jim’s family as he did so much for not just the Community Centre but there was a tinge of sadness as it was the third anniversary of his passing. 

Jim’s influence was not confined to the boundaries of the Community Centre but he carried passionately for the plight of Letterkenny. He championed the idea of preserving the town’s heritage at local authority level when it was not fashionable to do so, especially during the Celtic Tiger Era when a lot of Old Letterkenny buildings were torn down and replaced. 

Jim was a visionary. He saw how historical areas attracted tourists on Continental Europe and how it could be replicated in Letterkenny. Unfortunately, Jim’s fellow councillors and Donegal County Council officials didn’t share his vision. But when our campaign began, his expertise in dealing with Official Ireland was invaluable. He knew the hoops that we would have to jump through and how to navigate through them. 

Thankfully, Jim lived to see the beginnings of his vision start to become a reality and we regard him as the ‘Father of the Cathedral Quarter’. Our group has honoured Jim with a mural of him watering the flowers on Church Lane and similarly, Letterkenny Community Centre has paid tribute to Jim by naming the new Community Building. Now, it is the turn of Donegal County Council and any major development in the Cathedral Quarter, they must ensure Jim’s legacy lives on.
 
Meithal?
One word that Minister Dara Ceallary used during his speech at the opening of the Jim Lynch Community was ‘Meithal’, which is
an old Irish term describing a traditional system of co-operative neighbourly labour and mutual support, where a group works together to help each other. To the untrained ear, listening to the Minister’s speech, you would think that the Government are keen to support the Community Voluntary Sector and will do what they can.

As someone who has been involved in Community Development for the last eleven years, the reality is the complete opposite. Our biggest obstacle is the Government itself and its statutory agencies. People locally will be aware of the BS that I recently experienced with the Minister’s own Social Welfare department and the British-based company ‘People First’. 

I did meet some of the Minister’s officials at the Department of Rural and Community Development and informed them that the Community Social Programme operated by POBAL is simply not fit for purpose, especially for small groups. 

One solution is a Basic Income Scheme for those who are involved in Community Development, similar to the Artists Bursary. I mentioned to idea to local councillor Gerry McMonagle, who is heavily involved in community work with Letterkenny CDP, and said that it is something worth looking at. 

I gave my card to the civil servants and they said they would send me an email about our discussions. Time will tell if they send me further correspondence but I won’t be holding my breath.  

Literary Festivals
This Thursday, I will be sharing the stage with Dougie Bartlett from ‘The John Steinbeck Festival’ in Limavady at the Balor Arts Centre as part of the Frances Browne Literary Festival. I will be discussing Letterkenny's links to Jane Austen and Brendan Behan. It is part of the International Fund for Ireland Connecting Communities programme ran by the Rathmullan Way Forward. 

Our own literary festival is starting on Wednesday, October 15, and runs until Sunday, October 19. I have mentioned several times in this column, there are great opportunities for Donegal Tourism to be promoting all these literary festivals happening at this time of the year – Frances Browne Festival in the Twin Towns, ourselves and the Allingham Arts Festival in Ballyshannon taking place in early November. All festivals are happening in the shoulder season and if promoted properly, they attract people to visit the county from near and far.