Theatre For Sligo

The best news to come Sligo’s way for a long time is the announcement that Sligo Drama Circle’s search for a site for a theatre is over. Thanks to the generosity of the Bishop of Elphin, Most Rev. Dr. Dominic Conway, who has donated a site at the Retreat House, the drama group can now go ahead with its plans to build a three hundred seat theatre, and when the building is completed, Sligo will be the only centre outside Dublin and Cork with such modern theatrical facilities. Obviously, there is a long way to go before the project is finished and the first play is staged in the new building, but with the acquisition of a suitable site, the group has surmounted its greatest single difficulty.

Their next move is to launch a fund-raising campaign to finance the building which, it is estimated, will cost in the region of £80,000. Certain grants will, of course, be available, but a considerable amount of money will have to be raised through voluntary effort. This campaign should be supported by everybody with the interests of Sligo at heart. It is the aim of the Drama Group to encourage, not alone drama, but all branches of the arts in Sligo, and the theatre will be used for a variety of purposes. Incidentally, any aspiring playwrights in the Sligo area are encouraged to submit their work to the Drama Circle, and they will be given very favourable consideration.

from The Sligo Champion, On the Line, by Seamus Finn, January 18th, 1974