Drumshanbo Co Leitrim, Ireland
2004 to Date
Feasibility | Business Model l Training and Mentoring | Rural Regeneration | Grant Writing Support (over €18 million to date)
Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim is a town that has achieved national and EU recognition for its concentration on agri-food infrastructure as a high potential rural regeneration strategy, a specialisation that is paying off. This resilient community comes from a succession of economic setbacks. It was an unemployment blackspot with a total loss of 450 jobs over 15 years in Lairds Foods, Arigna Mines, and Lough Allen Power Station.
With no lasting replacement jobs emerging, a public meeting was called to find solutions, and Drumshanbo Community Council CLG was formed. Drumshanbo Community Council CLG went on to acquire and transform the old Lairds building into a multi-tenant production facility. The property went through various incarnations as a food factory until its final closure by Kepak Ltd in the 1990s. With a loss of 100 jobs, it had a devastating local impact. Property developers eventually bought the building as part of a wider town centre residential housing investment. Drumshanbo County Council worked hard to secure the premises on a 99-year lease and spent circa €1.8 million of public and community funds transforming it into a multi-tenant production facility. Today, 99-year leases are virtually unheard of, but such a long and valuable tenure gives a very assuring level of security to the lease but also security to funders. It is a true legacy to the town and future generations.
The Food Hub opened in 2003 and today, is worth over €3.5 million per annum to the local economy in wages alone. While the Hub experienced a slow start – the recession hit, and it took time to attract the right tenants; by 2013, demand for the production units surged to full occupancy in 2016. A waiting list of potential tenants has been in place since 2016. It is now Ireland’s premier artisan multi-tenant food production enterprise centre, established by a social enterprise and has earned its status as an economic development powerhouse and changemaker. Its principal business activities are.
To be realised, it is interesting that the Food Hub involved 14 different funding applications to realise the €1.8 million needed to initially develop the facility, there have been many more since. But development is not a straight line – here is a reality check slide we shared recently. Does it reasonate ?
We feel truly honoured at Educate + Innovate to have worked with a team of community volunteers, led by Enda McGloin and all at Drumshanbo Community Council CLG, Fergal Mc Partland, and brilliant tenants and the supporting champions of Leitrim County Council and Local Enterprise Office. Their visions, gumption and grit shows how towns and villages in decline can be turned around and put on the map.
The Food Hub won the 2014 Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award in the Social Enterprise category. Their win was cited as ‘testament to over a decade of community resilience and ambition by Drumshanbo Community Council and the agencies that have supported them’. Ulster Bank produced a very insightful video on The Food Hub’s impact as a social enterprise.
The others will forgive us if we put the spotlight on one man. Noel Mc Partland was a key member of Drumshanbo Community Council when The Food Hub project was initiated. In fact, he was Momentum’sf first client. A community leader and a visionary, embodying a spirit of Leitrim relentless and an unwavering commitment to Drumshanbo’s development and prosperity. Noel’s commitment to preserving the history and spirit of Drumshanbo remains evident in his latest passion project, Glimpses of the Past Drumshanbo. This magnificent display of memorabilia offers a tangible connection to the town’s rich past, further solidifying his role as a custodian of local heritage.
Noel’s passion has not gone unnoticed, he has been honoured on many occasions for his commitment to the town. In September 2020, he and his wife Margaret were the first to visit the 5 million euro Shed Visitor Experience at the Food Hub, receiving a standing ovation. This moment was a poignant celebration of Noel’s enduring impact on his community, highlighting a lifetime of dedication to fostering growth, preserving history, and igniting a collective sense of pride among the people of Drumshanbo. Noel McPartland remains a living legacy, a man whose vision, determination, and love for his town continue to inspire and shape the future of Drumshanbo. You will often catch him in the Jackalope Cafe, and a great chat can be guaranteed.
While Drumshanbo has been very successful as a manufacturing base (in H1 2024, there are over 220 people employed in food manufacturing in the town), the opportunity to contribute to a more knowledge intense, innovative agri-food economy is a firm ambition. Educate + Innovate are founders and directors of Leitrim Food Enterprise Zone CLG which is renovating another empty food factory into two much needed developments.
It is interesting that once a town sees regeneration in action, more people employed, more people visiting, it lifts all. But if we know one thing about regeneration, it is that it cannot stop. When Bank of Ireland announced it was closing it’s branch in the town, Leitrim County Council, with the support of Drumshanbo Community Council, were supported by Educate + Innovate to attract funding to acquire that building and a derilict neighnouring building, and develop a plan to address vacancy and dereliction to deliver greater economic, cultural and community vibrancy to Drumshanbo. The ExCHANGE Rural Regeneration, Transforming Workspace to the local and regional hub network by concentrating on office workspace configurations that facilitate scaling companies (8- 15 employees), startups (2-5 employees) and a large remote working community in the area. It will also house a Trade Innovation and Communications Unit, one a kind in the region to give access to 4K video technology and spatial audio which will cater to businesses ambitious for international trade. This forward-thinking solution, benefiting companies with global outreach, underscores Drumshanbo’s commitment to overcoming geographical isolation and fostering immersive communication experiences. The inclusion of AI features like real-time translation services enhances accessibility and inclusivity in a town with many nationalities, making it a valuable addition that could be replicated in other rural settings.
We have a feeling that our work in Drumshanbo will not end there. Here’s to the next 20 years!
Empowering People and Place