On May 9th the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Darragh Butler, re-opened Sluagh Hall.  The Hall, located beside Fingallians GAA Club in Swords, will become the new home for Swords Boxing Club and will also be used by Fingallians GAA Club.

First opened by Eamon de Valera in 1938, Sluagh Hall was one of a number of purpose built military facilities opened in the 1930’s.  The Hall served a military use as the home of the Local Defence Force and FCA for 75 years until its closure in 2013 due to the re-organisation of the Reserve Defence Forces nationally.

Fingal County Council engaged with Fingallians GAA Club & Swords Boxing Club and came up with a plan to convert the facility into a home for two of Sword’s prominent sports namely Gaelic Games and Boxing.

It was decided to divide the Hall into two separate parts to maximise the potential of the Hall as a facility that could be used by both clubs to develop their respective sports.

Speaking at the Hall’s opening Fingal’s Chief Executive Paul Reid thanked the two clubs for their support of the Sluagh Hall project and the level of co-operation they showed to Fingal County Council during the many stages involved in delivering the project and continued “Your efforts in encouraging participation in sport, particularly among our younger citizens are very much to your credit and are something the Council supports fully. This refurbished Hall stands as a great example of Fingal County Council’s work in breathing new life back into properties that come into the Council’s ownership for use by the local Community.”

Speaking at the opening, Mayor Darragh Butler said “There has long been a strong tradition of voluntary military service in the area of Fingal, not least of which was the participation of men from the area in the 1916 Rising, both in the city and rural areas across the county. Throughout the years Sluagh Hall was recognised for volunteering. It is then most fitting that this spirit of volunteering will continue through the endeavours of Fingallians GAA Club and the Swords Boxing Club. I wish Fingallians and the Swords Boxing Club many happy years in their new homes here in Sluagh Hall and thank you for bringing life back to this old building.”