Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys has officially opened the Virginia Civic, Library and Cultural Centre in County Cavan today.
The multi million euro project 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 euro under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund with an additional investment of €1.6 million euro was provided by Cavan County Council.
Outlining the extensive changes made to the Ramor Theatre, manager of the facility Padraic McIntyre says that there is new dressing rooms, a new box office and a bar.
Padraic says it's wonderful to see the curtains officially rise of the local theatre today. Meanwhile, Minister Heather Humphreys said this will be a game changer for Virginia, breathing new life into the centre of the town, creating jobs and attracting visitors.
Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Councillor Philip Brady, said that "today is an historic day for Virginia, as we officially open the Virginia Civic, Cultural, and Library Services Centre, one of the most significant investments in cultural infrastructure our county has seen".
Cllr Brady added that the Ramor Theatre has, for almost a quarter of a century, been the cultural heartbeat of County Cavan and it’s fitting that it is now at the core of this hugely impressive civic hub which hosts a state-of-the-art library, new theatre box office, lobby and wine bar, multi-purpose events space, office space, and outdoor performance area.
Minister Heather Humphreys led tributes to well known and popular former employee of Cavan County Council and stalwart member of the local Virginia community, Marian Smith, who sadly passed away this week, “Marian will be remembered by so many people in Leinster House, in Cavan County Council, and above all here in Virginia. If she was here today, she’d have been in her element. She will be sorely missed.”
Chief Executive of Cavan County Council Tommy Ryan said, “As Chief Executive of Cavan County Council, I take great pride in this council for delivering this once-in-a-generation, landmark facility for the people of Virginia. I am equally proud of – and grateful for – the efforts of the many staff who worked so hard over many years to deliver this project, including County Librarian Emma Clancy, Venues Manager Padraic McIntyre, Housing Construction Senior Engineer John Wilson, and Senior Executive Officer in Community, Enterprise, and Tourism, John Donohoe, and their respective teams who have worked so hard to bring us to this point.”
Virginia Civic, Cultural, and Library Services Centre has been built up around the historic Ramor Theatre, Cavan’s flagship theatre venue which first opened in 1999 in a deconsecrated 19th century church.
As part of the revamp, the neighbouring parochial house has been renovated to provide a box office, lobby and bar area for the theatre, office space, and a digital suite with an interactive tourist information system. The facility also boasts meeting facilities, a multi-purpose performance/meeting space and opens up the riverside area behind the theatre, to create a new civic plaza with a stepped terrace, perfect for hosting outdoor events.
The state of the art new Virginia library is fully equipped to meet the demands of a 21st century library service, with e-learning, sensory toy library, and pc suite, in addition to an extensive, eclectic, and engaging collection of books to educate and inspire young and old. The Ramor Theatre is already up and running with its autumn programme, and the new Virginia library will open to the public from 10am on Tuesday 17 October.
