A Night for Kinnycally Hall to aid restoration of iconic St Johnston dance hall

A night of traditional music and nostalgia has been organised as part of Letterkenny Trad Week to aid a restoration for the old Kinnycally Hall in St Johnston.

The Kinnycally Hall, around 3km from the village of St Johnston, was built by Jimmy Peoples, one of the great fiddlers of his time and the grandfather of the world famous Tommy Peoples.

On January 25 at 8pm, A Night for Kinnycally Hall, which is being organised by Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí, will take place at the Regional Cultural Centre.

 This concert will see a host of the best Donegal fiddlers and local musicians performing in support of the restoration project of Kinnycally Hall and a complete list of performers will be announced before the festival.”

The former Kinnycally Hall, which has since fallen into disrepair, was once an important gathering place for musicians which included a local harmony flute band which was organised by some members of the Peoples family.

Locals feared that the building was so decrepit that it was in danger of collapse, but moves to preserve and restore it begun in earnest.

In 2022, the members of the St Johnston and Carrigans community expressed delight over a Heritage Council announcement that €3,690 was awarded to begin the process of restoring the building.

The one-room stone hall, with a corrugated tin roof, was popular for miles around as a social gathering place and dance venue in the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s, later serving as a site for traditional music lessons, community meetings, jumble sales, and even football practice sessions.

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Born in Kinnycally in 1948, Tommy Peoples - one of the areas most famous products - was a member of the famous Bothy Band in the 1970s whose works are known and revered across the globe.

Letterkenny Trad Week is presented by the Regional Cultural Centre & An Grianán Theatre with the kind support of Donegal County Council & Arts Council Ireland.