OUR HISTORY & OUR APPROACH
About Us
Originally founded as the Narin Portnoo Rosbeg Community Co-Operative Society Ltd., the centre is now locally known as the Dolmen Centre; it is built, run and shaped by our community.
How the Centre Began
The Dolmen Centre began as an idea shared by local people who wanted a place at the heart of the community, somewhere to meet, learn, work and welcome visitors to this corner of south-west Donegal. In [year], they came together to form the Narin Portnoo Rosbeg Community Co-Operative Society Ltd. and set about making it happen.
Through years of fundraising, voluntary effort and [support from funders/partners], that vision became the building we know today. The centre was officially opened in April 2000 by President Mary McAleese. From the start, it was built with the environment in mind, heated without fossil fuels and treating its own wastewater naturally on site.
More than 25 years on, the Dolmen Centre is still built and shaped by our community. Much of the work here is voluntary, and new projects continue to grow from it. We owe a great deal to the founding members whose vision and hard work made it all possible.
OUR STORY
Local Employment
WORKING WITH US
We employ many local people through the CE (Community Employment) scheme all year round. If you are looking to be employed by the Dolmen Centre, feel free to phone us or send an email to bernadine.boyle@narinportnooce.com
The Eco Approach:
Building insulation
The Dolmen Centre’s insulation is progressively being updated to ensure visitors’ comfort and limit energy waste
Solar Panels
27 solar panels on the centre’s roof supply an additional 9 kWh to the hot water system.
Reed Beds
Wastewater is treated and disposed of in an environmentally friendly way through the use of onsite reed beds. This natural system depends on microorganisms, plants and invertebrates to clean the wastewater. These reed beds assist in the storage of rainfall and provide habitat value for wetland flora and fauna.
Geothermal Heating
No fossil fuels are used to heat the building. The centre's heating system is derived from a low-grade source heat which is extracted by a sealed chemical system placed eight feet underground. All space heating in the centre is effected by renewable energy. The mainstay is a heat-pump system - a geothermal solar system, which utilises the solar energy banked in the earth. One metre down, the earth temperature is always 7 to 8 degrees Celsius, a storage of the sun's continuous radiation of heat upon our planet.
Local Projects & Improvements
Since the Dolmen Centre opened in 2000, our community has taken on project after project, and many of them are now part of everyday life here. Some have become the Services and Facilities people use each day: the EV charging point, for example, started out as a project.
Help fund the next project
Every Donation supports the services, facilities and projects that serve the community and visitors alike.