Who we are

Our Mission Statement | Organisation Profile | Contact Information | Townlands of Truagh |Strategic Approach | Leading Development | Facilitating Development | Developing through Partnership | Networking to add Value | Where we are | Community Consultation

Truagh Development Association (TDA) was originally formed in 1985. It is a not for profit company limited by guarantee and was incorporated in 1991. It was set up to implement activities which would benefit the community and environs of the wider Truagh, Blackwater Valley and Sliabh Beagh area.  

The organisation works through a main committee (Board) which meets monthly and operates with a number of sub-groups. Board member positions are rotated every three years and membership of the Board or sub-committees is fully open and encouraged to the wider community through AGM and public notices.

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To realise local community initiatives and identify opportunities for future community development and enterprise, to rebuild relationships with neighbours across the border and build again the community and business relations that existed in the past (before border marginalisation). Our activities are geared towards:

• Building Community
• Building Peace
• Celebrating a sense of place in our beautiful Blackwater Valley
• Establishing "Centres of Learning" for all
• Promoting Reconciliation

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Organisation Profile

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Contact Information 

Telephone

Blackwater Valley Learning Centre 047 87049/047 87055

Postal address

                Truagh Development Association

                Errigal Heritage Centre

                Mullancross

                Emyvale

                Co. Monaghan

Email

                General Information: devlinm@eircom.net

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Townlands of Truagh

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A Strategic Approach

The organisation works by pulling the capacity of all its people and where possible, engaging them in the development and delivery of activities that build community infrastructure, capacity and engagement to deliver projects which best meet need. These incrementally meet strategic goals aimed at improving the quality of and life chances and opportunities for the wider community and particularly for those who are excluded or in need. The organisation used four methodologies listed below:

·         Leading development

·         Facilitating development

·         Delivering through partnership

·         Networking to add value

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Leading Development

In research and planning work, the group identified some needs that could be addressed through TDA taking a lead in driving or developing a support project or programme. Major projects initiated in this way include:

• The development, building and management of the multi-million Blackwater Valley Learning Centre (BVLC) at Ballyoisin which houses a primary school, pre-school, ICT centre and community peace building centre.
• Re-construction of an old Church of Ireland school house at Errigal. Now housing the HQ of the Truagh Development Association, TravelNet and a community Heritage Centre.
• Development of four village nuclei around the existing rural communities of Balloisin, Carrickroe, Clara and Mullan with built infrastructure to accommodate those village nuclei including housing developments, social housing and landscaping as well as community centre enhancements of the Carrickroe Community Centre, Clara Hall and Errigal Heritage Centre and refurbishment of Clara and Carrickroe primary schools.
• The European Award winning Aughnacloy, Truagh, European Studies Schools Project.
• Establishing and managing the Group Water Schemes.
• Restoration of St Mellan’s Holy Well and Heritage Site.

Projects under TDA run by sub-committee

TDA will assist with the development of projects and transfer much of the management to specific sub-groups where appropriate skills are in place and where those groups can concentrate on specialised/specific areas of activity, but TDA carries overall management and financial responsibility. Examples of this include:

• TravelNet – the Rural Transport Project to service north Monaghan areas of Glaslough, Emyvale, Tydavnet and Truagh.
• Broadband – the INTERREG IIIA cross border broadband project.
• Community Services Programme Committee, overseeing development and delivery of actions and goals for the BVLC.

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Facilitating Development

A key focus of TDA methodology is to assist communities in the wider locality to take full ownership in projects and meeting needs where this is possible. In this instance, TDA works to develop the project, sets up working groups, helps source funding and then enables the projects to become independent whilst still part of the wider TDA network. The following are independent companies and projects whose formation was, and ongoing support is, facilitated by TDA:

• Tru-Beginnings Community Playgroup Limited (Tru-Beginnings Playgroup)
• Errigal Truagh Special Needs Parents and Friends (Special Needs Group)
• Carrickroe Community Centre Limited

Parts of the four village nuclei programme were delivered through facilitation such as in Carrickroe, whilst support through outreach efforts by TDA continue to enhance and service these centres. Social housing provision in the villages is a further example of facilitating development.

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Delivering through partnership

Truagh have formed a partnership with the Workers Education Authority in 2005 to provide a Development Officer to implement a detailed Peace Building Programme in Truagh, Aughnacloy and across the border corridor based at BVLC. This project is part of the strategy to deliver a centre of excellence for Peace Building on the border (see strategic approach).

Training is delivered by other organisations in the BVLC through partnership organisations including: Monaghan VEC – TEFL, particularly to assist new migrants to the area progress. Training through the Blackwater Regional Partnership in the centre includes management, heritage skills and Sage accounting.

Vital Signs Programme which uses PDA’s to teach primary school children about their local aquatic environment the Blackwater, the Melvin and the Foyle River catchments. The data is uploaded on to the Vital Signs website.

Higher National Certificate, a two year programme in Work-place and Community Practice with 25 students enrolled, funded by EU Equal Programme, Equal Ireland. TDA play an active role in the Equal Programme as it aims to meet some of the key aims in addressing disenfranchise and endemic inequality of opportunities in society. Work is ongoing now to mainstream the Lianra programme with a focus on enterprise and entrepreneurial skills. 

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Networking to add value

TDA recognise that networking produces synergies and added value. The opportunities provided by EQUAL, Blackwater Skills Programme or the Special Needs Group can all benefit from the facilities in the BVLC and the TravelNet Project. Therefore the group seeks to participate and support networking. Projects results from such efforts include:

·         Blackwater Regeneration Partnership

·         Centre for Cross-Border Studies

·         County Monaghan Partnership

·         Dungannon Council

·         East Tyrone College

·         Glencree Centre for Reconciliation

·         International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD)

·         Leader

·         Monaghan Community Network

·         Monaghan County Council Community Forum

·         Monaghan VEC

·         Regeneration of South Armagh (RoSA)

·         Sliabh Beagh Partnership

·         University of Besancon, France

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