Dear Club Members,
As you know, at an Extraordinary General Meeting in January 2024, Club members approved the purchase of St Assam’s Church, Raheny (D05 T8N8), and its development into a purpose-built clubhouse for Raheny Shamrock AC.
Two years later, the Church has been successfully acquired, full planning permission, fire and disability access certificates have been secured, and several improvements have already been completed.
We are nearing completion of a significant upgrade to the roof, gutters, and stonework. Unfortunately, the project has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions. However, we can confirm that these delays will not result in any additional costs to the Club, and the contractor has formally confirmed this position.
We have also agreed with the contractor to undertake a full commercial clean of the external fabric of the Church, and as a result, the scaffolding will remain in place until late February. We believe this is the right time to carry out this work, as the cost of doing so in the future would be significantly higher due to the need to erect full scaffolding.
This work will be a very positive contribution to the village and will also signify the Club’s pride in its clubhouse. In response to ongoing requests from Club members and considering the anticipated delays to the delivery of the overall clubhouse project, we have instructed the contractor to install showers and upgrade the toilet areas.
A planning application was submitted in early December for the replacement of the sewer serving the clubhouse, with a decision due in early February. This has proved to be a very complex application due to the requirement to cross the Santry River and concerns relating to ecology and flooding. It also required the support of, and legal agreements with, adjoining landowners, which the Club was able to secure without any costs arising. The Club would like to acknowledge the support of the O’Dwyer and O’Shea families (landowners) in this instance. It is most likely that a request for additional information will be issued by Dublin City Council, which we will aim to address promptly. We expect to have secured full planning permission by late April/early May.
There is a legal commitment in place with Halton Construction to complete the sewer replacement works upon receipt of planning permission, and the Club’s Solicitor currently holds €100,000 as security in respect of these works. It is also important to note that Halton Construction has also paid all planning application costs without using the deposit held by our Solicitor.
All work on the clubhouse to date has been funded from the Club’s own resources. The Club remains debt-free, and its bank accounts continue to be in a healthy position, thanks to the significant donations made in respect of the clubhouse and the ongoing fundraising efforts of Club members.
At this point, the project has reached an inflection point. While significant efforts have been made to raise the funding required to complete the full redevelopment, a substantial shortfall remains. For the moment, we have decided to place a hold on progressing the project further to allow the Club time to reflect and consider how best to proceed with a fundraising campaign. Having taken soundings from numerous Club members, I am of the view that the time is not currently right to launch such a campaign.
There is potential to apply for and secure a Sports Capital Grant once the programme reopens, as anticipated, in 2026. However, there is no guarantee of success, as has been the case to date. A successful outcome would require the support of our public representatives, including Barry Heneghan T.D., Tom Brabazon T.D., and Naoise Ó Muirí T.D., whom we have met on several occasions.
The Club has approval in principle to borrow up to €750,000 from Bank of Ireland, but this can only occur with the support of the Club membership. Even under the most optimistic funding scenarios, the Club will still face a significant funding shortfall to complete the project as currently planned.
This clubhouse project has been overseen by the Clubhouse Development Committee, with most of the work carried out on a fully voluntary basis by PJ Monaghan. He has been supported primarily by Dick Hooper, and to a lesser extent by me, with more recent input from Sean McGoldrick. Given the funding uncertainty, PJ has advised the Club that his involvement with the project will conclude once the sewer planning process, roof works, building clean, and toilet/shower works are completed, which is expected in March 2026.
The Club now owns its own clubhouse in the heart of Raheny Village, a significant achievement made possible by the efforts of many Club volunteers over several decades of fundraising. The Club Executive will now reflect on next steps and will provide members with an opportunity to discuss these critical matters at the February AGM.
Should you wish to discuss any aspect of this update, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kindest regards,
William Walsh
Chairperson
As you know, at an Extraordinary General Meeting in January 2024, Club members approved the purchase of St Assam’s Church, Raheny (D05 T8N8), and its development into a purpose-built clubhouse for Raheny Shamrock AC.
Two years later, the Church has been successfully acquired, full planning permission, fire and disability access certificates have been secured, and several improvements have already been completed.
We are nearing completion of a significant upgrade to the roof, gutters, and stonework. Unfortunately, the project has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions. However, we can confirm that these delays will not result in any additional costs to the Club, and the contractor has formally confirmed this position.
We have also agreed with the contractor to undertake a full commercial clean of the external fabric of the Church, and as a result, the scaffolding will remain in place until late February. We believe this is the right time to carry out this work, as the cost of doing so in the future would be significantly higher due to the need to erect full scaffolding.
This work will be a very positive contribution to the village and will also signify the Club’s pride in its clubhouse. In response to ongoing requests from Club members and considering the anticipated delays to the delivery of the overall clubhouse project, we have instructed the contractor to install showers and upgrade the toilet areas.
A planning application was submitted in early December for the replacement of the sewer serving the clubhouse, with a decision due in early February. This has proved to be a very complex application due to the requirement to cross the Santry River and concerns relating to ecology and flooding. It also required the support of, and legal agreements with, adjoining landowners, which the Club was able to secure without any costs arising. The Club would like to acknowledge the support of the O’Dwyer and O’Shea families (landowners) in this instance. It is most likely that a request for additional information will be issued by Dublin City Council, which we will aim to address promptly. We expect to have secured full planning permission by late April/early May.
There is a legal commitment in place with Halton Construction to complete the sewer replacement works upon receipt of planning permission, and the Club’s Solicitor currently holds €100,000 as security in respect of these works. It is also important to note that Halton Construction has also paid all planning application costs without using the deposit held by our Solicitor.
All work on the clubhouse to date has been funded from the Club’s own resources. The Club remains debt-free, and its bank accounts continue to be in a healthy position, thanks to the significant donations made in respect of the clubhouse and the ongoing fundraising efforts of Club members.
At this point, the project has reached an inflection point. While significant efforts have been made to raise the funding required to complete the full redevelopment, a substantial shortfall remains. For the moment, we have decided to place a hold on progressing the project further to allow the Club time to reflect and consider how best to proceed with a fundraising campaign. Having taken soundings from numerous Club members, I am of the view that the time is not currently right to launch such a campaign.
There is potential to apply for and secure a Sports Capital Grant once the programme reopens, as anticipated, in 2026. However, there is no guarantee of success, as has been the case to date. A successful outcome would require the support of our public representatives, including Barry Heneghan T.D., Tom Brabazon T.D., and Naoise Ó Muirí T.D., whom we have met on several occasions.
The Club has approval in principle to borrow up to €750,000 from Bank of Ireland, but this can only occur with the support of the Club membership. Even under the most optimistic funding scenarios, the Club will still face a significant funding shortfall to complete the project as currently planned.
This clubhouse project has been overseen by the Clubhouse Development Committee, with most of the work carried out on a fully voluntary basis by PJ Monaghan. He has been supported primarily by Dick Hooper, and to a lesser extent by me, with more recent input from Sean McGoldrick. Given the funding uncertainty, PJ has advised the Club that his involvement with the project will conclude once the sewer planning process, roof works, building clean, and toilet/shower works are completed, which is expected in March 2026.
The Club now owns its own clubhouse in the heart of Raheny Village, a significant achievement made possible by the efforts of many Club volunteers over several decades of fundraising. The Club Executive will now reflect on next steps and will provide members with an opportunity to discuss these critical matters at the February AGM.
Should you wish to discuss any aspect of this update, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kindest regards,
William Walsh
Chairperson
