There was great excitement in Camross on Friday as the newly renovated and fully operational Poet’s Cottage Cafe was officially opened.
Situated in the heart of the village, Poet’s Cottage Café is a replica of a traditional Irish thatched cottage.
It was originally built as a Millennium Heritage Project by a local FÁS scheme in the late 1990s.
The cottage is named after Patrick Ryan, a poet who lived in Camross between 1750 and 1825. He wrote about the natural beauty and the people of this community.
Located in the middle of the village, between Camross NS and the community centre, Poet’s Cottage provides a meeting point for everyone in the community.
So says Fintan Scully, Chairman of the Camross Heritage Group, who said that it was originally the brainchild of late parish priest Fr John Lawlor.
He said: “Camross played in an All-Ireland Final in 1977, and on the television they’d show snippets of it now and again, and the difference in the village from then and now, it’s a transformation.
“But where this was built was was the old two-storey house, it used to be the teacher’s house. And so they decided to build a replica cottage.
“And to start it out, they were going to build just a small replica, but then somebody said, ‘why not build an actual cottage?’
“So that’s what was done, and it was built by Fr John Lawlor, and it was built as part of a community for the meeting places.
“But as the parish evolved, it was used less and less for that. So when the Just Transition Fund came up and the opportunity came, we decided to go up and try and open a cafe, because everyone was saying, ‘oh, there’s nothing in the village, you come to the village, you can’t get a cup of coffee, you can’t do it’.
“So this fund came along, and we went for it, and we were lucky enough to get it.”
The community led project received €250,000 for its development, co-funded by the government and the European Union under the EU Just Transition Fund.
New manager of the Poet’s Cottage Café, Eilish Fox has created menu items that reflect townlands within the village, including: The Camross Club sandwich and the Coolrain Combo.
Fintan said: “We have one full-time and seven part-time staff.
“At the moment, we are open on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“And then we have it set up in such a way that we have a hatch that we can open if there’s something going on in the field.”
The grand opening of the café is the community’s latest development, after the addition of a multipurpose sports pitch and flood lit walkway.
Cathaoirleach Barry Walsh and local TD Brian Stanley were among those in attendance on Friday in Camross Community Hall.
Musical entertainment was provided by the local Comhaltas group and then it was over to the Poet’s Cottage for refreshments.
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