McGuinness welcomes opening of Irish language resource centre in Derry

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness today welcomed the official opening of Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin in Derry.

Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin is a £3.03 million community cultural resource centre established primarily for the preservation and promotion of the Irish language in the north west.

The project is one of 5 stand-alone elements which comprise the collective Walled City Destination Signature project which received £0.5m in funding support from OFMDFM through the Integrated Development Fund (IDF).

Commenting on the opening of the new facility Mr McGuinness said:"This impressive new complex will give valuable support to the Irish language community here. In addition, the facilities will provide! a resource for the wider community in the City, helping to break down barriers and cement relationships."

The Minister added, "The opening of these facilities is an important development for all the people of Derry and I would encourage all sides of the community to use the Centre."

There are three constituent elements of the project: a small business incubation/commercial unit providing space for existing tenants and supporting the development of arts and craft related Irish medium enterprises (BANBA); an Irish language learning facility including classrooms, language and computer laboratories (FOLDA); and, a multi-purpose hall capable of seating 220 people which will explore Irish medium arts and culture (EITHNE).

Notes to Editors:

The purpose of the Integrated Development Fund (IDF) is to provide additional s! upport to strong wide-ranging partnerships in a small number of pilot areas. The IDF is intended to be additional and generate new activity. As such, it is specifically intended to be used to remove funding blockages where there is evidence that this will facilitate/accelerate the full implementation of the plans. Where possible, IDF funding should also help to lever in private investment.

• A DCAL bid to the IDF resulted in approval for funding of £500,000 in March 2007.
• The remainder of funding came from various sources including the EU Peace Programme and IFI

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