Watch: John McGahern Museum, Cootehall is open for visitors
One of the "success stories" of the closed garda stations in Ireland is the transformation of the former Garda Barracks in Cootehall, Co Roscommon into a stunning museum to local writer John McGahern.
Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW visited the museum on June 2 to visit and speak to the community who took on the project in 2013. He said he wants to use the community in Cootehall and their hard work as "a template for the rest of the country." The Minister was in the north west on Wednesday to inspect opw buildings such as the former Garda Station in Dromahair.
The McGahern museum which only opened this month is already inundadted with bookings, the visitor centre uses Garda memorabilia and McGahern's works to tell the historiy of Gardai in rural Ireland. The museum hopes to attract literary writers for retreats, opena Summer School in conjunction with NUIG and extend it's links worldwide using the McGahern brand.
For more details, history and to book a tour visit: https://www.mcgahernbarracks.ie/
The full report and photos from the minister's visit will be in next week's Leitrim Observer, out on June 9.