Broadband hub at rural heritage centre a godsend for students and community groups
'It is brilliant,' says student Emma Barrett who can swiftly download or upload material for her work or studies just by driving up to Laharn Heritage Centre. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
We've all heard of drive-through fast-food restaurants. Now welcome to drive-through broadband — the potential saviour of rural Ireland.
A heritage centre in North Cork has become a godsend for students and businesspeople who can't rely on a decent broadband service in their area.
Students, in particular, are benefitting from the recent activation of broadband at Laharn Heritage Centre, which is in a very isolated rural community, 16km from Mallow, with many even sitting in their cars outside the centre to pick up the signal as it is a more reliable option than their home broadband.
It is the first of many digital hubs planned for further rollout across the county.
Emma Barrett, 21, lives close to the Laharn Heritage Centre. The third-year biomedical engineering student at Munster Technological University has struggled with broadband for her studies, as have many others like her.
Ms Barrett is on work placement with Stryker in Carrigtwohill. When she gets home at night and needs to download something in a hurry, she just drives into the car park at the heritage centre, logs in, and it's done.
No need to ask somebody to get the keys to open it up, although Fine Gael councillor Tony O'Shea will facilitate students' access if they want. He's part of the team that brought 21st-century technology to the centre, courtesy of the county council.
"It is brilliant," Ms Barrett said. "This will make life a lot easier for students like myself in the area. It's something we can rely on because the wi-fi is poor in many homes."
When Covid-19 restrictions are finally lifted, Mary Murphy says it'll be a massive benefit to 80 members she oversees as chairperson of Kilshannig Active Retired Association, who are drawn from a wide area including Dromahane, Glantane, Bweeng, and Laharn.
Prior to the pandemic, the centre was home to their many activities — but it didn't have broadband then.
She pointed out that they'd often have guest speakers on a wide range of topics who wanted to upload information on a screen for the benefit of older people, but couldn't do so.
"This will prove a great advantage," Ms Murphy said.
"Covid has shown us that communication is vital. We could have computer classes for our members and give them different tips on how to do things. I'm really looking forward to it," she says.
Laharn Community Action secretary Sheila Crowley said they've created a dedicated office at the centre for anyone who wishes to use it for their work, and also have open-plan workspaces for people.
“I live just a few hundred metres away from the centre and the speed of the broadband here is 20 times faster than I have myself at home,” she said.
Mr O'Shea said he was very grateful the council had selected Laharn for its initial broadband rollout in rural communities in the county.
Cork County Council chief executive Tim Lucey has said he will shortly announce the local authority's plans for a further rollout of new digital hubs across the county.
The council has employed consultants to look at areas of demand and skillsets within them to guide the way to the best places to set them up.
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