14/10/21 - Killea Community Playground Official Opening

As part of Donegal County Council’s €5.5m Local Authority Action Plan, the Council is delighted to announce the new Community Playground in the village of Killea was officially opened to the public on the 13th of October 2021.

This event celebrated the opening of the new community playground for the people of Killea and the wider area offering opportunities for interactive play for children of varying ages and abilities.

This project was one of many funded under the Council’s Action Plan, which received funding through the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. The project specifically fell under the Shared Spaces and Services objective of the Action Plan.  Match-funding for this project has been provided by The Executive Office, Northern Ireland and The Department of Rural and Community Development, Ireland.

This project is also part funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and Donegal County Council under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme with the aim of rejuvenating rural towns and villages throughout Ireland through the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 Rural Regeneration Programme.

The park has a seating and picnic area, public car park and an inclusive playground for children of all ages containing a variety of equipment including junior and toddler multi-play units, a variety of swings, a wheelchair accessible carousel, multi-use games area with goal posts and basketball nets. The new playground also includes a communications board, which provides communications support, with particular benefit to children or adults who are either pre-verbal or non-verbal and/or have communication difficulties. The inspiration for this communication board came from Min Ryan Park in County Wexford, which has since gone on to receive an award for inclusivity in disability service provision, with the InterAct initiative at Trinity College providing invaluable support to Donegal County Council in the development of the communication board for the Killea Community playground.

Keynote speakers included Nicola Mahon representing the Killea Community Playpark Group, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr. Jack Murry, Cllr. Terry Crossan and Chairperson of the PEACE IV Partnership Committee, Cllr. Paul Canning gave warm contributions to the event.

With members of the local community in attendance alongside key stakeholders including  representatives of Donegal County Council, the Peace Partnership and Department of Community and Rural Development, it made for an inspiring event. The project has re-imagined an undeveloped space in the centre of Killea village and created a shared space to support peace and reconciliation through outdoor play.

A special thank you to Donegal County Council’s Community Development team and the SEUPB for their ongoing support to deliver PEACE IV projects successfully across the county, the Department of Community and Rural Development and to the contractor for the new Killea Community Playground, Garden Escapes (Ireland) Ltd.