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

Cllr David Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council Lar Power, Cllr Joe Lyons, Deputy John McGuinness, Minister Heather Humphreys, Cathaoirleach of the County Council Cllr Michael Doyle, Chair of the Callan Thomastown Municipal District Cllr Deirdre Cullen, and Cllr Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere Picture: Vicky Comerford

Chair of the Callan Thomastown Municipal District, Cllr Deirdre Cullen, was delighted to greet the minister at the ground-breaking ceremony.
“We fought hard to secure the extra €1.4million to ensure the project would get started and not delayed,” Cllr Cullen said of her district colleagues.
“The library certainly will be a game changer for Thomastown. Modern libraries are not just about books but have quiet spaces for study and creative spaces where communities can meet. I’m delighted the work has begun and am looking forward to seeing it through to fruition,” Cllr Cullen said.

“The development of a new library in Thomastown allows for the continued expansion of library services in Kilkenny,” said Josephine Coyne, County Librarian. “This investment will provide a modern, well designed, accessible and welcoming library to cater for the diverse needs of individuals, families and communities.

“Investing in our libraries is an investment in our communities and I look forward to the development of Thomastown library.”
The project team for the library development is Brendan O’Brien and Seamus Foley, County Librarian is Josephine Coyne, the contractor is Tom O’Brien Ltd, and the design team is Reddy Architecture and Urbanism.

At a meeting of Callan Thomastown Municipal District councillors, last year, Ms Coyne said the new library will allow for a staffing increase from two to four people. Opening hours will be greatly extended, from 30 hours a week to 40 hours a week. This will be further extended by the My Open Library service.

Plans for the new library in Thomastown were first mooted in early 2021 and there was a warm welcome in May of that year when initial funding of €2.5 million was allocated to the project under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
However, as the project developed and the requirements of a modern library were built into the plan, additional funding was required.
This was granted earlier this year and the project moved swiftly forward, with contracts signed and construction crews moving on site.