As Arramara team members cross the short distance between the processing plant and office on a daily basis, we encounter many visitors who delight at the beauty of Céibh Cill Chiaráin (the Pier at Cill Chiaráin). It is a joy for us to work here and many of the people who visit Arramara comment on the fact that we are very fortunate to work in such a striking historical building and picturesque location.
We do indeed know and appreciate how fortunate we are to be based so close to the shore here in Cill Chiaráin, and we strive to ensure that visitors to the area will leave with the same sense of appreciation.
Over the summers of 2013 and 2014, our employees took steps to enhance the experience of those visiting Céibh Cill Chiaráin. Some of the work completed includes:
- Repurposing the old boat resting just outside the factory gates to become what we believe is the biggest flower pot in Connemara. Thanks go out to Máirtín Ó Maoilchiaráin who allowed us to turn his old boat into a local tourist attraction.
- Building flower beds. This was thanks to the help of Coleman Dundass, who showed us pictures of his late stonemason father working in the Cill Chiaráin area as Coleman himself re-established a family tradition.
- Refurbishing the building that now comprises our two storey offices thanks to the help of local builder Máirtín Loftus, who was given the task of pointing the old stone work to make the building weatherproof. We will be forever grateful to Mr. Patrick Keane for allowing us access to the rear of the building so that we could do this work.
- Tidying up the old storage area south of the office here in Cill Chiaráin, a piece of Arramara history that dates back to the 1950s when our main concentration was sea rods (Laminaria hyperborea). This old storage area had been left untended for a number of years and in 2014 we decided we would give it a bit of a facelift, thanks to the help of Máirtín Loftus and our own Coleman O’Toole.
While each of these separate tasks might have been simple in nature, we believe that together they enhance the experience of people working in and visiting Céibh Cill Chiaráin. We hope that visitors will continue to enjoy the beauty of this area in the same way we do working here.
“Giving back to the community where you work and live is natural when it’s given you so much,” said Dónall Mac Giolla Bhride, the former General Manager of Arramara Teo, who worked here from 2006 to 2016. “We’re very proud of our rich ocean resource, culture and history. That’s why we’re happy to share it with anyone who takes an interest.”