Safety remains priority

Volunteers ask for Bawnboy Workhouse to be opened

Despite calls from local groups for Cavan County Council to allow the use of the vacant Bawnboy Workhouse for community activities, the council remains steadfast in its opposition citing “safety concerns”.

Vandals recently broke into the disused building, which dates back to 1857. Once they got through some windows that had been restored by volunteers from the Men’s Shed group, the vandals destroyed property belonging to the men’s group and Foróige.

Both groups used to meet in a part of the vast building until about two years ago when Cavan County Council asked them both to vacate their rooms because of concerns over public safety.

The Men’s Shed has been unable to find suitable alternative accommodation since so the group folded.

When they were operating, some of the men used their time to lovingly restore the old windows in their part of the building.

Foróige, meanwhile, had completely restored an old stairs and toilets in their part. The vandals damaged these and equipment belonging to both groups.

Peter McKiernan from the Men’s Shed expressed his belief that, if the groups were still using the building, the vandals would have had less opportunity to carry out the destruction because their members would’ve been coming and going from the Workhouse.

The vandalism reignited the group’s campaign for Cavan Council to allow them back to their venue.

Dymphna Headen, secretary of Bawnboy Workhouse Committee, told The Anglo-Celt they leased the building from Cavan County Council in the past.

“It was unsafe in 2011 when they gave a lease to our committee to do conservation work. We are asking that they renew the same lease so that we can continue to conserve this historic heritage building,” she said.

The committee also questioned how a grant of €114,000 from the Historic Structures Fund, which was awarded to the council in March 2024m was spent.

A spokesperson from Cavan County Council responded by saying: “Cavan County Council is exploring funding to stabilise the roof sections of Bawnboy Workhouse.

“The funds secured under the Historic Structures Fund will be used on some roof stabilisation measures. However there remains significant and wide-ranging structural issues in the workhouse complex.

“The safety of the public is the primary concern of Cavan County Council in this regard, and it thus remains unsafe to open it for occupancy.”

Ms Headen insists the committee is not seeking to take up occupancy of the building but to be allowed to continue restoration work they had undertaken previously and for which Cavan County Council gave them a lease in 2011. She argues the building was not safe then either and asks what has changed?

In a statement to the Celt, Ms Headen said: “It was not a safe building at that time, yet Cavan County Council gave us a seven-year lease then to restore the buildings. We got grants of €100,000 and did a lot of preservation work.

“We do not ask to occupy the buildings. We ask Cavan County Council to renew our lease so that we can continue to restore the buildings. They have done it before they can do it again,” she said.