A Committed Community

Heading to West Clare from Dublin, we exit the main roads at Tullamore and take a meandering cross- country route.  Shortly after Birr, we take a left turn down a needle-straight road leading to the iconic, much lauded monastic village of Lorrha. No, we’d never heard of it either!

The village boasts four significant ruins: A Priory, a church, a castle and a friary.  Apparently, you can climb the stairs in one of these and view the surrounding area, but we were too desperate for caffeine to make the required effort.

Having spotted a coffee sign on the way into the village, we back-track to the community centre, and without so much as a nod to the potential philanthropic act about to be committed, haul ourselves in there.

We spend the next half hour or so in the very pleasant company of Nancy White, one of a pool of volunteers who run the community centre facilities. She explains the series of events over the last few years which led the to the initiative: the closure of the post office, garda station and pub; concern over the sustainability of the 27-pupil school and then the final straw: the closure of the local grocery shop. This latter event galvanised over forty residents to come together and organise themselves into three committees with the respective roles of improving the environment: promoting history and heritage, and delivering services from the community centre.  Nancy is a proud and undoubtedly valued member of the latter where we partake of freshly brewed coffee and fabulous carrot cake, all for less than the price of a pint in Temple Bar! The space also offers retail opportunities for local craftspeople: knitting, ceramics, jewellery, wood turning (from a local lad who’s just completed secondary school). The space is packed with these and more, displayed on a variety of mis-matched tables and shelves and all are available to buy.

While we savour our caffeine kick, a number of customers call in, purchasing basic grocery items:

‘Have you any spuds in Nancy?’ 

‘Yes, Maeve, Johnny dropped some in earlier.’

‘Nancy, have you fresh eggs?’

‘Oh yes, Yvonne, there’s a basket there from Thomas.’

And so it went on. The community centre clearly provides the fundamental groceries for local residents, from rice to bread; milk to newspapers; yogurts to tea bags. But what it more apparent is the unspoken role which the community centre plays: one of offering a space for communication and sharing; an opportunity to network and connect; and a place to check in with one another and provide support and guidance.

The coffee was great; the cake even better; but the overriding feeling as we left Lorrha was one of admiration for a community determined to sustain and develop. Good luck to you all! And a particular thanks to Nancy, whose desire to promote her home village outweighed her shyness of the camera, so she agreed to a photo on the understanding that she was ‘taking one for the community’!