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Background and Vision

Ballingeary has long been recognised as a rich reservoir for the Irish language in Ireland. This small, remote village played a central role in the Gaelic Revival in the late 1800s and early 20th century with the creation of the first Irish language teacher-training college in Ireland, Coláiste Múinteoireachta na Mumhan, in 1904.

The Coláiste grew rapidly and in 1914, moved to new larger premises. The original building, located beside the village church, is being made available to Coiste Forbartha Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh CLG and it is proposed to use it to establish Ireland’s first Museum of the Irish Language and Gaelic Revival – An Súgán.

The idea for the museum is novel, employing first person storytelling from the standpoint of many of the characters who imagined, established, supported, and were inspired by Coláiste na Mumhan, Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh in the early days. For a better understanding of the concept, please visit www.ansugan.ie and select the “An Súgán” dropdown menu.

The ambition is to create a heritage attraction which gives visitors a reason to stop, or a reason to divert from the Wild Atlantic Way which currently by‐passes the village.  

The attraction will also act as a ‘shop window’ for today’s Coláiste na Mumhan still located in Ballingeary Irish college.

Finally, the museum will also provide tourism information about neighbouring sites & sights and link in with relevant historical attractions such as the Kilmurry Independence Museum, The Michael Collins House Museum, and nearby ambush sites relating to the War of Independence.

The project is currently at Feasibility Study stage and it is in this context that we would value your thoughts and inputs.
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This survey is completely confidential – all returns will be anonymised before being shared.  We will not contact you in relation to any aspect unless you explicitly authorise us to do so (see Q.14).

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* 1. Which best describes you, your business or your organisation?

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* 2. How long have you been in operation?

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* 3. Where do most of your visitors, customer-base or audience (cultural, community, educational/academic) come from?

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* 4. As 2020 was hardly a normal operating year, how was business or activity in general for you in 2019, including cultural, community or educational/academic activity? (tick box)

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* 5. Looking ahead, which of the following best describes your ‘mood’?

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* 6. Have you any plans to develop new products, activities or plans – including cultural, educational/academic or community-focused ones - or to expand services in the next 5 years?

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* 7. What do you think makes Ballingeary worth a visit?

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* 8. Having understood the vision presented above, how significant do you think this project is (tick as many as apply):

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* 9. Do you think the development of the proposed new Museum will help the development of your business/activity or the achievement of your objectives?

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* 10. How can we ensure the new Museum complements your business/activity or what you do?

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* 11. What would your priorities be for developing the new Museum? Do you have any ideas for what it should include, any stories it should cover, or how it should operate?

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* 12. Is there any way you could help the development of the new Museum, or its operation down the line, for example by advertising, referring business, working collaboratively, developing associated research, helping with funding or any other way?

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* 13. Which of the following best describes your view of the proposal?

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* 14. We may like to contact you to discuss some of your thoughts or ideas. If that is OK, please provide your email/other contact details here:

Thank you!

If you’d like to stay in touch with developments please visit www.ansugan.ie

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