Part one of tripartite €11m. Mayo county town urban renewal investment is completed
Decaying old post office building gets new lease of life
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The Foróige sign replacing the old post office sign on the building. PHOTOS: MICHAeL BROPHYImage 2 of 6
Many of the building’s old interior features are retained in the new design.Image 3 of 6
Wall-mounted units used by postal workers to sort letters and parcels by specific delivery routes have been refurbished and given a new purpose.Image 4 of 6
The old-style windows providing ample light to a new generation.Image 5 of 6
A view of the new-look rear of the preserved building, with the 19th century belfy clock on Christ Church in the background.Image 6 of 6
The new off-street entrance to the new Foróige facility.Works have been fully completed on transforming the old post office at Mountain View in Castlebar into a state-of-the-art Foróige youth centre.
The project, which cost €2,534,650, was carried out under the Castlebar historical core reactivation initiative.
It was funded by the government's urban regeneration and development fund (URDF).
The main contractors, Mountain View Securities, commenced work on November 11, 2024.
The building works are now fully completed and project handover is imminent.
Retired local postman Michael Brophy, who worked in the building for much of his early career, has furnished photographs to The Connaught Telegraph to show the impressive nature of the refurbishment.
Other projects ongoing in the county town under the URDF, but still awaiting construction, are public realm works at the Mall and Ellison Street backlands as part of an overall masterplan for the Mall. This is expected to cost €1.8 million.
A part 8 planning application is due to come before Castlebar Municipal District before the end of the year.
Another major investment tied into the overall renewal of the location is the conversion of the former Imperial Hotel into a business innovation hub at a cost of €7 million.
The contract for this project was signed last September with Rhatigan Architects for a mulyi-disciplinary team to provide a full scope of services from design, planning, tender, construction and completion for the new facility.
Local councillors have had an input into the design after many years of campaigning for the prominent historic derelict building to be given a new lease of life.