More on the Theatre

Ald Kay Guinane writes: “With reference to your reply to my remarks regarding the Corporation grant of £25,000 towards the Theatre for Sligo, there are a few points to clarify. Firstly, you ask “Why wait until now?” to raise objections regarding the theatre project. You ask why they were not raised on the night the Drama Circle’s deputation presented its plan to the Corporation. The answer is simple. On that occasion, the Corporation did not have the power to give them a grant, large or small. No public money was involved, no sum was mentioned and no questions were asked, at least not by me. Legal advice had to be sought regarding the granting of public money for such a project and the first I heard of the grant was when a friend remarked: “I hear the Drama Circle are getting £25,000 from the Corporation”. That was one week before the Corporation meeting of May 3rd.

It appeared on the agenda that night as “Contribution towards proposed Theatre for Sligo” and the figure mentioned at the meeting was £25,000. It was then I voiced my objections. I hope this answers your question, “Why wait until now?” Secondly, at no time did I ever suggest the building of the £200,000 theatre on the site of the proposed Sports Complex. I wish to make that clear especially to the Sports Complex Committee. (I am surely not that bankrupt in brains) The words I used in that connection (and which were reported in an earlier edition of the “Champion”) were “incorporated in”, meaning a type of theatre such as we have in at last four of our educational establishments. Failing this, perhaps the purchase and renovation of an existing building would serve the purpose but definitely an edifice of modest proportion and costs which would be well equipped and capable of seating upwards of 250 to 300 people. With this purpose in mind we had a little bank account of about £5,000.

Let’s be realistic, Sligo cannot boast that it has a large theatre-going public. Limerick Theatre is up for sale – a city that has an all the year round flow of international visitors. At a time when our economy is at its lowest ebb, does not the mind boggle at the building of a theatre costing £200,000? Yet you say it has received “tremendous support and encouragement from all sections of the community” (Alma Terrace ratepayers included?). “The cost of the theatre will be the same and the grant from Sligo Corporation will not change either” you say. That being so, I’ll conclude with the words of William Shakespeare: “The rest is silence”. Let us hope so.

from The Sligo Champion, On the Line, by Seamus Finn, May 21st, 1976