*Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling, An Taoiseach Simon Harris (FG) and Mayor of the Ennis MD, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF). Photograph: Eamon Ward.
CLARE’S new state of the art county library was officially opened by An Taoiseach Simon Harris (FG) on Friday.
Ennis’ landmark 2,321 square metre building is comprised of a library spread over two floors, a 100 square metre art gallery and the headquarters of Clare Libraries and Arts Services.
Construction of the new de Valera library and Súil Gallery commenced on site in January 6th 2020, beside the existing glór theatre. The €17m building had an original price tag of €14m. The new library opened its doors to the public for the very first time on Monday (November 11th) with the Súil Gallery on Saturday (November 16th).
Over 73,000 books for all ages are now housed in the de Valera library with an excess of 2,700 CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks, and sensory resources. In addition to these resources, the new library is equipped with cutting-edge technology and services to enhance the user experience
Welcoming the investment of €17m, the Taoiseach said it wasn’t easy for all General Election candidates to take time away from the campaign trail as he praised the vision of Clare County Council. “Clare has of course elected many important leaders, the Liberator Daniel O’Connell, Paddy Hillery and one of my predecessors as Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera who this library was named after”.
Often it was either a portrait of de Valera or Michael Collins that hung as a portrait behind the desk of the Taoiseach, it varied as to whether the office holder was with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, Harris highlighted, “but when this coalition came together we got a mirror”. He singled out the work of County Librarian Helen Walsh who was project coordinator on top of her day job. “It is a building that will deliver a first-class service, they say you are never alone with a book, there has been an increase of 30,000 books here so there will be no shortage of good company in Ennis”.
Inclusion of a sensory hub was a sign showed “a library that is truly inclusive in Ennis,” the Taoiseach stated. He praised the decision to rename the Scariff library after Edna O’Brien prier to the death of the Tuamgraney literary icon and he lauded the Council’s work in expanding DigiClare and their network of remote working hubs across the county.
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) said it was “a significant milestone for our Council and community” to officially open the de Valera library. The provision of combined services of the library, theatre, cultural facilities and art gallery “will ensure a newly energised cultural quarter for the people of Clare”. He recalled that the project “met obstacles and had many challenges to overcome”.
Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) said she was privileged to now have the “distinct memory” of serving as Mayor of the town at the opening of the new library. She reflected to her days as a secondary school student in Coláiste Mhuire where she first attended the old de Valera library on Harmony Row where she enjoyed “the quietness to study away from the large crowds and a busy home”. She added, “my first experience of a library was the de Valera library so it holds a special resonance for me” as she labelled it “a beacon of knowledge and learning for half a century”. The new facility will “preserve the past while also embracing the future”. She concluded, “it is more than a library and a gallery, it is a symbol of our shared values and aspirations”.
“We couldn’t be more proud,” Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling said of the new library headquarters. He noted that “lots of colloquial complimentary phrases like wow” have been fired out in relation to the completed project. “It was a huge project to come to fruition through recessions, pandemics, cost of living crisis, a change in contractors and a few cranky consultants, aren’t we glad we persevered”. He said, “This new space will be a place of education, cultural exploration, innovation and collaboration for decades to come”.
Ennis’ de Valera library is “a facility to be proud of, some could say it is our second big win of the year,” Dowling remarked. “Public libraries are the heart and soul of a community. It is said that a library is infinity under a roof and it doesn’t get more elegant or unique than this roof and structure”. He praised the “vision of elected members” of the Council in backing the project, “it is most definitely a career highlight for you all, what a legacy you have left Co Clare”. He continued, “it is more than just a building, it is a symbol of community reliance and commitment to dedication, a testament of what we can achieved when working towards a common goal”. His quip to “Talk to Joe” in a nod to the campaign slogan of Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) to get things done was a remark which caught the attention of the sizeable crowd.
In July 2016, Keith Williams Architects were selected by the County Council to design the new library and from here the stakeholder consultation stage of the project began with seven public consultation events held that year. The design team has completed Stage 1 (preliminary design) and Stage 2 (Sketch design). The county library project was granted planning consent following a Part 8 process in February 2018.
Keating were awarded the contract for the construction of the new library project and sod was turned on the new library at glór in December 2019, an event officiated by then Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring and then Mayor of Clare, Cathal Crowe (FF). Work commenced on the new building on January 6th 2020.
Construction was halted in July 2020 due to the main contractors L&M Keating going into receivership. They exited the site completely in September 2020. The re-tender process commenced post-COVID and a new contractor, Galway based Coolsivna Construction recommenced work on site in May 2022 and concluded in June 2024.
The project was funded from a number of sources. In January 2016 following a grant application process, €3m was made available from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, a further €1m in EU grant aid was secured from the designated urban grants scheme under the Southern & Eastern Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020 and €1m in grant aid in 2019 from the Department of Rural and Community Development. The balance of funding was met by the Clare County Council’s own resources.
