New £18,000 Library for Ballinasloe
Saturday, October 2, 1971
A magnificent new £18,000 public library in Ballinasloe was blessed by Rev. P. G. O'Shea, Adm., and officially opened by Mr. M. F. Kitt, T.D.. (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Gaeltacht) on Friday last.
Situated at the fair green, the new library will have a total book stock of 8,484 volumes which is twice the number of books in stock in the first, branch library opened in the town in 1941. That building was destroyed by fire in 1955.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Kitt, a former vice—chairman of the County Libraries Committee, paid tribute to the particularly fine work of Co. Librarian Mr. Tom Sharkey and praised all concerned with the erection of the new building. Mr. Kitt recalled when the first library was erected forty years ago and gave a break—down of the books on stock then. In the new library, he said, there was a selection of Irish books which he hoped would be availed of. The Parliamentary Secretary stated that a loan of £18,600 was raised, to provide the library. An Comhairle Leabharlanna will pay half the loan charges and Galway County Council will pay the rest.
"I hope the people of Ballinasloe will make use of and derive pleasure from the books available, and that they and the young people will develop the habit of reading," Mr. Kitt concluded.
Speaking at the annual Libraries meeting which was held in the new building in conjunction with the opening, Mr. Sharkey said that when the old library was destroyed by fire in 1956 it; was Mr. Kitt who proposed the erection of a new one,
"Unfortunately there was no grant available at the time but it has now become a reality," he added.
The new library has over 8,000 volumes, he stated, and most in mint condition. It was intended to increase this stock and there were considerable reference facilities available in the new branch.
Mr. Sharkey complimented everybody associated with the erection of the library and paid particular tribute to Libraries official Mary Kavanagh for her great work in stocking the branch and the Libraries' Committee who had "given 100 per cent support through the years."
Mr. Thomas Armitage, the Assistant Director of the National Library Council, wished the Ballinasloe branch every success and paid tribute to the progressive Libraries' Committee.
"You'll have done the spade—work and it is the readers and especially the young people who will benefit from it," he added.
The members of the committee were welcomed to Ballinasloe by local member Mr. Tom Boyle, who described, the new library as "a wonderful facility of which we are all very proud."
The architect was Mr. James O' Dwyer, of P. J. Sheehan and Partners, Limerick, and the contractor was Mr. Michael Kenny, Ballinasloe.
Jeff O'Connell visited the superb Aughrim Interpretative Centre this week, 306 years after the last major battle on Irish soil.