THE tens of thousands of people in this State who support amateur drama will be cheered by the news that the Dean Crowe Hall in Athlone is to get a £500,000 facelift.
For many years the hall, which was built in 1790, and is the property of St Peter's Parish, Athlone, has been the home of the All-Ireland Drama finals.
The first of these was held there in 1959 but in recent years, because of the condition of the building, the town has been in danger of losing the competition.
The festival, which is sponsored by Esso Ireland Ltd, claims to be the longest-running sponsorship of the arts by any corporation in Ireland.
It is fitting then that the company should now be involved in the refurbishment of the old hall, which served as the parish church until 1937.
The plan, backed by Athlone Urban District Council which is making the restoration its millennium project, envisages the old hall becoming one of the largest outside Dublin - with 500 seats.
This will involve the expenditure of £500,000 and as a measure of the interest local people have in the proposal, £80,000 has already been raised in the first year of fundraising.
Athlone Urban District Council has agreed to pay £25,000 to the project over the next five years and an application has been made to Mid-South Roscommon Rural Development Company Ltd for a grant of £50,000 under LEADER II EU funding.
The main funding effort, set up by the finance committee of the Dean Crowe Theatre Trust, has been very successful with its members' draw.
The £100 tickets, which are limited to 2,000, has already attracted enough members to make the organisers confident of raising a minimum of £80,000 for the project.
Phase one, costing about £165,000, will bring a new facade with a bright foyer and lounge, improved toilet facilities, dressing rooms and upgraded seating to the old hall.
Phase two will involve the refurbishment of the seating area in the theatre with raked seating at the rear of the parterre while phase three will involve refurbishing the stage area, lighting and dressing rooms.