During 20 years of being involved in the Dunamaise Arts Centre and Theatre, Louis Brennan has seen and gone through it all.
From its conception, to the first laying of bricks, to seeing two million people walk through its doors – Louis has been there every step of the way.
Now, he has stepped down as the Chairman of the Board of Directors after 20 years at the helm, and is leaving it in the capable hands of Portarlington man Michael Turley.
We sat down with both Louis and Michael to talk about the famed Arts Centre’s past, present and future.
Louis, who is now involved in the Institute of Public Administration, Dublin, described how he became interested in the Arts.
Louis served on various local county councils, beginning with Laois in the 1960s. He moved on to Tipperary County Council and then Wicklow County Council.
It was during his time in Wicklow that he first became involved in the Arts, although he admits that it was somewhat of a culture shock to him.
He was told to organise an art exhibition in county hall. “My God, I hadn’t a clue, but I did it!” laughed Louis.
It was when he returned to Laois County Council that he began to immerse himself in the idea of building a facility like the Dunamaise Arts Centre.
“In 1997, we got a grant from Europe for the building of an Arts Centre. We completed it in April 1999. In one way or another I have been immersed in the Dunamaise since that date,” he said.
The first challenge Louis and his team had to overcome was to raise €1 million for the construction of the centre.
“It was a huge challenge at the time, but Michael Mills and myself established the Laois Arts Foundation to help with it. The good news is that we raised in excess of €1 million in 18 months.”
Louis joined the Board of Directors intermittently while in Laois County Council, coming on board full-time when he retired in 2006.
The pride he holds for what the Dunamaise is today is obvious, as he beams while speaking about the staff, the technology, and the various performances they’ve held down through the years.
Some of these guests, among others, include Brendan Grace, Liam Clancy, Tommy Makem, The Fury brothers, Louise Morrissey, Frances Black and the entire Black family.
“It is a Centre of Excellence in Laois which spheres into the surrounding counties,” said Louis.
However Louis’s stand-out moments are much more on a local level.
Stand-out moments: “Stand-out moments for me, to be honest with you, were on stage. Because of the Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise became a brilliant a brilliant local Panto group.
“The musical society in Portlaoise grew because it had a stage to work on and groups like the Crooked Jacks and Transmitter came in here.
“There could be a standout moment at 11 o’clock in the morning when I’d look in and there could be 300 children in the audience looking at something on stage. That to me was the Dunamaise being what it should be,” said Louie.
Getting through difficult times
During Louis’s time as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ireland faced a crippling recession.
During recessions, the arts are usually the first to face cutbacks. It was also during the recession that Michael Turley advised Louis that the Dunamaise were trading beyond their means.
So the Arts Centre and Theatre followed the now infamous words of Charlie Haughey – and tightened their belts.
They cut expenditure, staff took cuts and they upped their fundraising.
“We had an excellent director in Michelle de Forge who coped on very quickly that the livelihoods of a lot of people here were at stake,” said Louis.
In 2017, they turned over a profit for the first time in many years, but are continuing to be sharp of expenses and income, are now actively beginning a ‘rainy day’ savings fund.
Picture: Alf Harvey/hrphoto.ie
Michael Turley has taken over the reins as Chairman of the Board. Michael, a quantity surveyor by profession, believes that the mix of both arty people, and business-minded people, is the ideal combination to serve on the board.
“I think that combination has served us very well and will serve us well in the future,” said Michael.
“We have a financial and audit committee which looks at money only,” he explained further.
Michael also stressed that the Dunamaise is not just for patrons from Portlaoise, but for everyone around the county.
“We’re keen to say that the Dunamaise is the Laois Arts Centre. We have a lot of patrons from Portlaoise, Portarlington, Mountmellick and further afield,” said Michael.
In terms of the future, Michael says, “It’s more of the same, and constantly refining it to make it relevant.”
As for Louis’s future, we have a feeling that he won’t be straying too far from the Dunamaise, or Laois community projects. For long as he remains in Portlaoise, he will remain to be a part of the Dunamaise Arts Centre and Theatre.
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