K.D.A.

K.D.A. 21ST ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
On Thursday 20th November 2003 the Kilcormac Development Association celebrated the 21st Anniversary of their inauguration. The occasion was marked by a party at St. Josephs’ Community Centre. All past and present members of the Organisation were invited. Some 120 guests were treated to an evening of good food and entertainment.
The current Chairperson of the Organisation, Mr. Tom Feighery, honoured the contributions of past Chairpersons; Mr. John Flynn (R.I.P.), Mr. Ernest DeVito, Mrs. Irene Troy, and Mr. Declan Costello. Ernest DeVito received a standing ovation from the audience in recognition of his outstanding dedication and service to the Committee over the years.
Mr. Tom Feighery thanked the past and present committee members and also the many members of the community who, although not a part of the committee, nevertheless worked so hard to assist the Organisation in its work and its fundraising efforts. FAS, and West Offaly Partnership, both received heartfelt thanks for their invaluable assistance both to the committee in general, and to the renovation and running of St. Joseph’s Community Centre (the home of the K.D.A.).
www.kilcormac.com
To mark the progression of the Organisation into the Age of Technology, the Kilcormac website was launched as a part of the celebrations. www.kilcormac.com was designed by Mr. Tom Daly and Mr. Sean Craven, both members of the Kilcormac Town Development group (a working sub-group of the K.D.A.). The Website provides information for locals, and for friends and family abroad. It also aims to promote Kilcormac as a place to visit, do business, shop, work and live.
Currently, the site contains general information on the town and locality, history, local organisations and activities and available facilities. It features local news, which will be updated on a regular basis. The group would like to thank Mr. Seamus Byrne who was the previous owner of the domain name Kilcormac.com and who very generously handed the name over. The Development Group aim to constantly improve and expand on the Website and hope that the site content will be driven very much by the community at large, and that hence the Website will be truly representative of Kilcormac.

HISTORY OF THE K.D.A.
Kilcormac Development Association (K.D.A.) was formed on the 24th May 1982. Their first meeting was held in the Fiesta Ballroom. County Councillor Tom Feighery explained the difficulties that were faced by any politician trying to represent a community to outside agencies, and how a widely based apolitical group could assist. The Officers were elected and a committee was formed.
The K.D.A. aimed then, as it does now, to be representative of all parts of the local community. This was to be an umbrella organisation for various projects whose aim was to improve the social, recreational and commercial facilities of the parish.
On the 26th of April 1985 the K.D.A. became a Limited Company with charitable status. After 3 years planning and fund-raising, construction started on 15th October 1985 on St. Joseph’s Community Centre in Kilcormac. This started with the purchase of an old Georgian house (St. Joseph’s); it’s reconstruction and then the addition of the main hall. After 3 years of further hard work and fundraising, the Community Centre was opened in 1988 with an overall cost of £250,000. The enormous level of local support received remains a testament to the Community spirit, and sheer determination, of Kilcormac people. The Centre today plays a large role in Community life. It is currently staffed by four K.D.A. employees and has been assisted greatly over the years by the local FAS C.E. workers.
OTHER PROJECTS
The K.D.A. have successfully engaged in many projects in the last 21 years. Some of the most notable are certainly the construction of the Town Park, the opening of Loch an Dochais (in conjunction with the Lough Boora Enterprise Group), the addition of Gym, Steam room and Playschool to the Community Centre and, most recently, the launch of the Kilcormac website ( www.kilcormac.com).
Current and future projects include the renovation of a Millwheel on the Silver River, proposed establishment of a modern Community Health Centre, and proposed construction of an Enterprise Park, whereby start-up & evolving businesses could purchase service sites to construct their own business units in Kilcormac. Many of these projects are managed by members of the Community on behalf of the K.D.A.
THE CURRENT COMMITTEE:
The current K.D.A. committee are as follows: Attracta Dooley (President), Tom Feighery (Chairperson), Mary Craven (Vice-Chairperson), Carmel Charles (Secretary), Seamus Barron & Yvonne Martyn (Joint Treasurers), Declan Costello, Chis Culleton, Denis O’Driscoll, Catherine Guignan, Liam Fox, Jackie Reamesbottom, Joe Coleman Dr. John Hunt.
THE ORIGINAL COMMITTEE:
Ger Nolan (Asst. Sec.), Ernest DeVito (Vice-chair), Paul Curry (Sec.), John Flynn (R.I.P., Chair), Jimmy Lee (Treasurer), Jim Sweeney (Joint Treasurer), Tom Feighery, Brian Sullivan, Jerry Mahon, Teresa Screeney, Des Sweeney, John Keane, Sean Doyle, Brendan Marsh, Cormac Carroll, John Nolan, Tom Foley, Paddy Daly, Seamus Barron, John Barret.