Did you find love in this Midlands ballroom?

Did you find love in this Midlands ballroom? If so, you're being urged to come forward with your stories of dancing and romance for a new project.

As the Fiesta Ballroom in Kilcormac prepares for a new use as a Green HQ for Offaly, thoughts are turning to the love and romance of yesteryear.

Prior to work commencing on the redevelopment of the iconic building, Offaly Local Development Company and Green Offaly are looking for your stories of the ballroom in years gone by.

The Fiesta Hall has long been an important focus for community recreation in Kilcormac and surrounding areas - for dance, bingo, film and public meetings and as part of our work in acknowledging and preserving the history and heritage of the Fiesta, Offaly Local Development Company and Green Offaly want to collect stories from people who encountered love at the Fiesta.

Today's world of dating apps and ‘love online’ seems a world away (and a lot less fun) from Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s, where many would cycle in from the country to experience the excitement and anticipation of a night at the dance hall. If romance didn’t blossom, there was always next week!

“If these walls could talk, I wonder what secrets they'd tell.” - Gayle Forman. This quote couldn’t be more apt than when it comes to the Fiesta! OLDC and Green Offaly can’t wait to find out the real stories contained within these walls. As we all know, the path of true love rarely runs smoothly. Did your romance endure? Were you ships that passed in the night? Did the popcorn shake? Was he/she the one that got away or the one with whom you’d stay?

If you have a story to tell from the heady dance hall days of the Fiesta Ballroom and you would like to take part in the ‘Fiesta Stories’ project we would love to hear from you. Email Rebekah at info@greenoffaly.ie with the heading ‘Fiesta Stories’ or alternatively ring Green Offaly on 0894294242.

Offaly Local Development Company has secured over €1.2 million from the Just Transition Fund and the Trench Trust for the Development of a Green HQ - Climate Action and Green Enterprise Centre for Offaly.

The fund will see the historic Fiesta Ballroom renovated in alignment with green building principles and powered by renewable energy. As much as possible of the building will be conserved and the equipment in the projection room will be retained in an exhibition of the building’s history.

If you would like to find out more about the Green HQ project please email info@greenoffaly.ie