An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2014/Jan 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 14 | iunvA Returns to Cavan by COy SGT SHAy WHELAN (RETD) AND CPL KEITH GUILFOyLE PhotoS SGT DENIS BARRy (RETD) I rish united nations veterans Association (IunvA) Post 15 was founded in 1994 in Dún uí néil, Cavan, but due to several factors it ceased to operate in the late 90's. With the closure of Dún Uí Néil in March 2012, serving and retired members who served in the barracks found it increasingly difficult to maintain contact with each other. As a result, members of IUNVA's national executive visited Cavan in July 2012 for a meeting to see if there would be support for re-establishing a post in the area. A large turn- out gave everyone the answer and a committee for a new Post 15 was elected that night. Membership has since grown at a steady pace and now stands at 38, with more applications pending. It was obvious from an early stage in the post's development that a permanent meeting place would be essential to its future success. As there was no accommodation available within a military post in the area due to the barracks closures in Cavan, Monaghan, Castleblayney and Longford, the committee decided to seek accommodation from the local authority. As a result, in November 2012 committee members contacted Cavan Town Council and were pleased to find that they were supported by local politicians and Cavan's lord mayor. A meeting was arranged and took place in the building that the council was offering to Post 15, Ashvale House, a der- elict house that had been built around the end of the 1940s. The building was in very poor repair and in need of moderni- sation but nevertheless in January 2013 Post 15 signed a tenancy agreement. The huge task of refurbishing the site was approached on a phased basis, with the house being the priority. Members of the post started work immediately, turning their hands to everything from painting, plumbing, and bricklaying to tea making. With funding from the IUNVA National Executive, Cavan Town Council, local businesses and private dona- tions, an enormous improvement could be seen in a short space of time and Ashvale House was officially opened by Lord Mayor Des Cullen in June 2013. The house, which isn't far from the old Cavan Bks, is located in Swellan, which has a long established community into which the post and its members settled quickly. The welcome afforded to the post by the local people and the commu- nity spirit in the area has resulted in the local tenants' association now using Ashvale House on a regular basis for their meetings. Phase 2 of the development, a disabled toilet facility, a roofed display area and the development of a memorial garden, quickly progressed. Min- ister for Arts, Culture and the Gaelteacht Heather Humphries opened the memorial garden on 20th September 2014, with a large number of IUNVA members, representatives from the Defence Forces and ONEt, local politi- cians and members of the business community in attendance. The final phase of the development of the site entails the construc- tion of a recreational area/garden with a mural depicting the history of the Irish soldier – from Cúchulainn to the present-day soldier serv- ing with the UN. A small military museum is also being developed with a view to it be- coming part of the Cavan Town Walking Tour in the future. To help us in this venture, the committee of Post 15 would ask readers of An Cosantóir to search your attics for any memorabilia that we could display in our museum – anything from a web belt to a water bottle. Ashvale House provides a popular 'drop-in' centre for both serving and retired members of the Defence Forces. It is opened daily from 0900hrs- 1300hrs and boasts a coffee room, kitchen, meeting room, reading room and office facilities. Our motto is 'If the flag is on the pole the kettle is on the boil', so please feel free to visit us at any time.

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