Kilkenny Development: Ground broken on Thomastown’s new state-of-the-art, €4.6 million library

Turning the ceremonial first sod for the new Thomastown library was Minister Heather Humphreys with Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council Lar Power, Chair of the Callan Thomastown Municipal District Cllr Deirdre Cullen, Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council Michael Doyle, and representatives from the project team Brendan O’Brien and Seamus Foley, contractor Tom O’ Brien Ltd and Reddy Architecture and Urbanism
Picture: Vicky Comerford

Longer opening hours, study spaces, opportunities for lifelong learning, as well as a vast choice of reading material are set to be features of a new multi-million euro library development in Thomastown.
Minister Heather Humphreys made the trip to Thomastown, last week, to officially turn the first sod in the much-anticipated development.

The development will be an investment of €4.66 million in the town’s facilities.
Everyone in the community is set to benefit from the project as this new development is designed to be accessible, welcoming and inclusive of all.

A state-of-the-art development, the new Thomastown library will sit adjacent to the Community Centre, where the ‘bones’ of the building can already be seen, rising up behind the existing building.
It is expected that all construction and furnishing work will be completed and the door open to the public by the end of next year, 2025.

Local councillors joined Minister Humphreys for the special day.
The minister was in Kilkenny to, among other engagements, officially open the Mayfair Library in Kilkenny City. The modern design and build of the city premises is a taste of what can be expected in Thomastown.

The overall cost of the project is €4.665 million with grant funding being provided by the Rural Regeneration Development Fund of over €4 million and the balance funded by Kilkenny County Council.
Earlier this year an additional €1,450,823.70 was allocated to the project, following some redesign issues, bringing the total government funding approved for the library to €4,013,144.70.

With a floor area of 700sqm, over two floors, the new facility will more than six times the size of the current library.
This will allow the new library to provide a range of spaces and services including: dedicated spaces for adults, children and teenagers; ICT and digital spaces; study spaces; a multipurpose/ community area; My Open Library access; workshops, events and classes throughout the year for all ages; a wide range of cultural and creative programming; and sensory collections.