A group of determined Kinsale locals are hoping their bid to purchase the now-closed Harbour Bar in Scilly will keep this building open for the people of the town, and serve as a community hub into the future.
Lynn Harding and Grainne O’Keeffe came up with this ‘not too Scilly’ idea to fundraise to buy the bottle-only bar, which is currently on the market for €1.5m.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Lynn said that it was only when she saw that the bar was up for sale that she began to realise that this building could be lost forever if it was purchased by possible investors.
‘I put up a post on Facebook about the sale because I couldn’t watch another part of Kinsale be snapped up and deleted,’ said Lynn.
‘It was only ever a bottle bar and is quite small too and closed down last year. It has been open since the 1970s and it’s special and different, and these are the type of places that make Kinsale so unique and loveable. The idea of these things being lost forever is quite difficult to watch also.’
Lynn admits she had a ‘mad idea’ about locals collaborating to buy the bar and make it a community space.
‘I honestly didn’t expect that many people would be genuinely willing to get involved when I suggested that if 1,500 of us were able to each chip in €1,000 each we would be able to buy the bar.’
However, following legal advice, Lynn and Grainne changed tack and decided to set up an online fundraiser in their bid to purchase the bar.
‘We held a meeting then to see how many were serious about our fundraiser, and following this we realised we had to form a company limited by guarantee. The whole point of this is that I want it for the people, and by the people and everything will be decided as a group.’
She said if they do manage to buy the building, it will be held in trust for the people of Kinsale.
‘We want it for the community of Kinsale and Scilly in particular. My fear is that if we lose the Harbour Bar we will lose any kind of feeling that Scilly belongs to the people.’
With the fundraiser now in operation they are also looking for other people with expertise in accounting, social media and finance to come on board and help them with their bid.
‘We are working as hard as we can to get this over the line. We realise too that it’s an old building which will need renovations.’
To support the community’s efforts, search for ‘Help Us Save The Harbour Bar Kinsale Ireland’ on GoFundMe, and follow the group’s progress on social media.
