Aghalee Village Hall Management Committee - Aghalee, Antrim
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  • Aghalee Village Hall Management Committee - Aghalee, Antrim
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  • Aghalee Village Hall – a brief history It is not clear who first suggested the building of a hall suitable for the needs of the people living locally in Aghalee, but the Minute Book of the Management Committee records that the decision was taken at a meeting on the 6th April 1932. Mrs McKeown donated the site ‘The Wee Meadow’. Mr David Mairs pledged £100 towards building costs and by 25th April 1932 a steering committee had been formed. This consisted of:Chairman                      D Mairs Esq. JPVice Chairman            R D Best Esq. JPTreasurers                    M/s F D McKeown and J BeckettSecretaries                   M/s J S Grey and J HendersonCommittee                    Rev F R McCullough; J Martin Esq. JP; W Forsythe; R Yarr; T C Fallon; J Glendinning; W Lyness; T Gilkinson; J Donnell & T Kirk   Fund raising started immediately with collecting cards and a ballot. A ladies committee was formed on 18th July 1932, consisting of:Mrs W E Best; Mrs R D Best; Miss J Glendinning; Miss M Gilkinson; Miss A Mairs; Mrs R G Beckett; Mrs J Beckett; Mrs Moffitt; Mrs Hillis; Miss J Martin; Miss M Martin; Mrs J Yarr; Mrs S Green; Mrs Kirk; Miss E Horner; Mrs McCullough & Mrs Fallon. Mr L E Laughton, the Secretary of the Rural Development Committee was then approached as was the Carnegie Trust UK. The Carnegie Trust promised a grant of one sixth of the total cost and an interest free loan of one third of the cost to be paid in five years. The cost was £16,000, a substantial amount in 1932. Trustees (M/s F D McKeown; W Forsythe; D Mairs; J Henderson; T Kirk; and J Glendinning were appointed on 19th September 1932. The Architect, Mr James Hunter of Lisburn designed a steel open plan roof especially constructed to avoid obstacles when playing badminton. Mr Walter Law started building on 24th April 1933.  Sir Crawford McCullough DL performed the official opening ceremony on Wednesday 27th September 1933. Sir Crawford was then Lord Mayor of Belfast and had left Aghalee some 52 years before as a boy of 14. Mr Hunter presented Sir Crawford with a golden key.  The Hall immediately took on a number of functions, as a site for two badminton clubs; a branch of the Carnegie library and a folk dancing club. Moira Young Farmers Club met a t the hall and dances flourished. The ‘Old Crocks’ Dance donated a piano to the hall. A charge of £3 for the use of the hall per night was fixed until the debt was cleared. Again this was a substantial amount for 1932. War was declared in September 1939 and shortly afterwards the Bank declined to increase the hall overdraft because of ‘abnormal times’. It was necessary therefore, for all guarantors to contribute £5 in order that the bank would help to repay the Carnegie loan.   During the war the hall took on a different role. Records are scant, but the library continued. Saturday night dances were held, attended by members of the forces, especially the Americans. The Women’s Voluntary Service used the hall as their HQ and organised comforts for the forces and also held Red Cross collections. During air raids on Belfast, 250 evacuees lived in the hall, pending more suitable accommodation. The hall was used by the Home Guard and was also requisitioned by the Royal Artillery. Much discussion about improvements ensued after the war and in 1954 plans were made to raise the necessary funds. Work carried out over the following ten years i
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