Around the County
I. The origins of RCDC
In 1993 the Electricity Supply Board, planned to build a new
double 220 kV power line from Donegal through the counties
Leitrim, Sligo and Roscommon: Through the least spoilt and
most beautiful scenery of Ireland they intended to erect every
400 yards pylons 200 feet high over about 70 miles distance.
The group that had formed the Anti-Pylon-Campaign essentially
stayed together, after beating the pylons and called itself
Rossinver Community Development Council.
The people of Rossinver - who had suffered from a closed border
to Northern Ireland, no employment opportunities, emigration,
bad soil and climate for agricultural activities felt for the
first time ever that they could do something.
RCDC organised rubbish collections, clean-up operations,and
concerts, a three day festival with music, culture and sports
events, introduced the annual ?Walk around the Melvin and the
Sports Day all activities designed to foster a sense of community
and to introduce more enjoyment into daily life in Rossinver.
The New Ballagh Centre
1.Old Ballagh Church
In 1994 RCDC surveyed all households in the community to
find out what the population wanted. More than 80 % of the
questionnaires were returned, and almost 80 % of those
stated as a priority the renovation of the Old Ballagh
Church, which was built around 1851 in the area of Rossinver.
RCDC secured a 999 year lease from the governing Church Body.
RCDC went to work, and in 1996 the International Fund for
Ireland (IFI) granted us Irl£49,000 to start the renovation
work. We ran a "Community Youth Training Programme" (CYTP)
in conjunction with the Inner City Trust Derry and Waterside
Churches Londonderry, a cross-community cross-border training
programme for young people, sponsored by the "Wider Horizon
Programme and FAS.
With the funds it was possible to put a roof, doors and floors
in the building to secure it from further decline.
The most striking features of the building are the stained
glass windows designed and made by Sharron and Maureen Byrne,
also the stonework by John Byrne.
RCDC sponsored 3 "Community Employment (CE) Schemes" also
job initiative. Two further CE Schemes were organised
in 1999/2000 and 2001/2002.
In 1998 we were successful with an application to the "Fund
for Peace and Reconciliation" ( P&R). This allowed us to
employ a Community Development Worker.
In 2000 we were allocated a grant from P&R,. ,Dep. of Social,
Community and Family Affairs, the Ryan Ireland Fund, Area
Development Management (ADM), and the County Leitrim Partnership.
In 2001 we received another grant from P&R to keep our development
worker, Michael Grainger.
2. New Ballagh Centre
By now we had named the "Old Ballagh Church" the "New Ballagh
Centre". We changed our name to Rossinver Community Development
Company Ltd., as in 1996 we had to form a company to qualify
for all the grants and programmes.
We now have a craft and IT school in the NewBallagh Centre the
building is also used by the community for many things e.g.
Irish dancing , yoga, relaxation, first aid community parties
and much more.
In the centre you can do classes in equal-skills, begginners
computers, ECDL, Advanced ECDL, Computer Building and more.
You could also learn how to make stained glass windows,
mosaic, jewellery, felt items and much much more.
RCDC. are still working on future development for Rossinver.
We recently celeberated their 10th anniversary with a community
party in the New Ballagh Centre it was a great success drawing
in people from the surrounding community and many of those who
had helped withRCDC,s project past and present. We would like
to thank everyone who has suppported us in any way at any time
thanks again.
|
