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Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, today (Friday, 13 October) officially opened the Virginia Civic, Library and Cultural Centre in County Cavan.
This is a transformative project, which incorporates a state of the art new library, civic space and the redeveloped Ramor Theatre.
A civic space has also been developed which provides access to the lakeshore, boating marina, Virginia Show Centre, Virginia College and the lakeshore park.
The landmark project received funding of €4.78 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF). An additional investment of €1.6 million was provided by Cavan County Council.
The investment from the RRDF in the town is consistent with the Our Rural Future and Town Centre First objectives of attracting more visitors and investors into rural towns.
Speaking at the official opening today, Minister Humphreys said:
“With the support of €4.78 million under my department's Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, Cavan County Council has delivered a transformative civic resource for the people of Virginia and its hinterland.
“This is another excellent example of the real results ‘Our Rural Future’ is delivering to rural communities.
“It will be a game changer for Virginia, breathing new life into the centre of the town, creating jobs and attracting visitors.
“This is what ‘Our Rural Future is all about - revitalising our towns and villages and making them a better place to live, work and raise a family.”
The Minister continued:
“Offering library services, cultural activities, meeting rooms, and located just beside the already popular lakeshore, I’m sure that this multi-use centre will be a welcome addition to the town and will quickly become a core part of daily community life.”
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. In total the Fund has now provided over €409 million for 215 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €560 million.
In relation to projects in County Cavan, the Fund has provided €17.5 million for 10 projects worth €22 million.
The new strategy was developed by the Department of Rural and Community Development in partnership with the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and local authorities. It is a 5-year plan for the period 2023-27 which sets out the strategic context for further investment in library infrastructure, technology, programmes and services.