Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has unveiled Ireland's newest library in Kilkenny City in addition to announcing an investment of €25 million in Ireland's public library services.
Mayfair Library, a €7.2 million project funded by Kilkenny County Council and the Department of Rural and Local Development, has been transformed from an old ballroom into a state-of-the-art library and community facility as part of the development.
Located in the heart of medieval Kilkenny, the library features digital spaces for training and innovation, providing access to 3D printers, 3D scanners, and sewing machines.
It also features space for workshops, lectures, training, and community engagement events.
Humphreys, who toured the new library, has announced that the additional investment of €25 million will create 11 new public libraries and 12 Next Generation mobile library vehicles, representing one of the most significant investments in Irish library services in recent years.
The new investment will transform the old Dominican Church and Priory in Drogheda into a state-of-the-art library, while it will also create a new flagship library in the Cultural Centre of Finglas, which will also include a 163-seat theater, a café, a gallery, a tourist information bureau, and office space.
Elsewhere, the investment will transform a 75-year-old former cinema building in Sligo into a 21st-century library in addition to transforming the old Market House on Monaghan's Main Street into a community library facility.
In a statement, Humphreys said the new library in Kilkenny will make a huge difference to the local community, adding that the 11 planned libraries will play an important role in rural development.
"I’m delighted to officially open Ireland’s newest library facility – a €7.2 million state-of-the-art project in the heart of Kilkenny City," Humphreys said in a statement.
"I’m pleased that my Department of Rural and Community Development was in a position to provide €4.7 million of the overall investment. This facility is on the site of the old Mayfair Ballroom and it has been totally transformed for 21st century use.
"I’m also very pleased today to announce a €25 million investment in our public libraries and library vehicles," she continued.
"This will see the delivery of 11 new library facilities across the country, in places such as Drogheda, Bray, New Ross, Swords, Ballymote, and Clonmel. The projects include old churches and priories, cinemas, and market-houses which will be transformed for 21st-century use. This goes to the heart of what we are working to achieve under our five-year rural development strategy, ‘Our Rural Future’.
" I’m very pleased to be making this announcement in Ireland’s newest library in Kilkenny City, which I know will make such a difference to this community for generations to come. I want to take this opportunity to once again thank our dedicated library staff across the country, who contribute so much to our public library service and our communities."
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