New Kinsale library will be a ‘real gem’

KINSALE’S new library at the Old Mill Building at Church Square, which is due to open at the end of this month, will be a ‘real gem’ for the town, according to one councillor.

Speaking at the Bandon Kinsale Municipal District meeting in Bandon last week, Cllr Kevin Murphy (FG), who got a sneak peak of the library last month along with his colleagues, said visiting the new library which has three levels, was a revelation.

‘It has the most fantastic internal outlay that I have ever seen and the space within the former grain store is magnificent as is the timber finish throughout,’ said Cllr Murphy.

‘When it opens it will be fantastic for the whole town as they badly need it and it will be a real gem for Kinsale.’

Municipal district officer Brian Dunne confirmed that works are almost complete on the refurbished library with an official opening date pencilled in for later this summer.

‘The Old Mill building was originally built in the late 19th century as a grain store and the transformation of the building from a non-habitable one to a state-of-the- art library is a massive investment in Kinsale and demonstrates the commitment from Cork County Council and its members to the town,’ he said.

Councillors were also told that in order to protect the building,

Its contents and its inhabitants, a design decision was made to whitewash three of the four facades of the existing building using a breathable, silicate masonry paint.

‘No longer an agricultural building, it is now a habitable public building and like the nearby Kinsale Museum and countless other vernacular buildings across the country, it too is white and bright,’ said county architect William Smyth in correspondence to councillors.

Cllr Marie O’Sullivan later said she was ‘blown away’ when she got to visit the library. ‘It is going to be a fabulous space for everyone to enjoy and well done to the design team, Griffin Constructionand all involved in the project,’ said Cllr O’Sullivan.

Newly-elected chair Cllr Sean O’Donovan, who is a member of the library committee of Cork County Council, said he is delighted to see the new Kinsale library almost ready. ‘We are so lucky in the Bandon Kinsale Municipal District to have two beautiful state of the art libraries in both of our main towns,’ said Cllr O’Donovan.