Success  >  Success Stories by Sector and County

Community Loan Success Stories

Organisations benefiting include; Community & Voluntary, Charities, Sports Clubs, Social Enterprises and organisations tackling community, social and environmental issues.

Clann Credo is a charity and recycles capital repayments into new loans to continuously increase the Community Loan Finance available so more community organisations can benefit in the future.

As Ireland’s largest social finance provider, we have re-imagined lending and believe that finance can be a catalyst for good in communities.



Turning an abandoned station into a home for a scout group is no easy feat, but the Sixmilebridge Scout Group have given the historic station house a new lease of life.

There is history attached to the Abbey Arts & Cultural Centre, in the town of Ballyshannon, The very building from which a hugely diverse programme of arts activities are overseen and ran.

Clann Credo is proud to be associated with the work of the Abbeyshrule Tidy Village Committee, which holds the rare distinction of winning multiple awards at both national and European levels.

Clann Credo's support for work undertaken by the Abbeytown/ Abbeyview Residents' Association encapsulates the role of social finance in the community.

State of the art development with four dressing rooms, public toilets, community meeting room and a function room.

Success in high performance athletics requires constant investment in people, facilities and programmes. Adamstown Athletic Club’s new equipment will help to keep competitors on their toes.

Aghada Community Playgroup is accessible to all children. They offer top quality play based learning both inside and in a vast and impressive outdoor area.

At least one half of this proud football club can trace its origins all the way back to a Saturday afternoon card game in the local pub.

When local concern arose for the poor state of repair of an old mine building in Allihies, Clann Credo provided the financial support needed to transform the old Methodist church into a mining museum.

Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair, located in Donegal’s well-known Gweedore Gaeltacht, has played a key role in cultivating local musical talent, playing host to Enya, Clannad and Altan over the years.

An Gairdín Beo is an entirely urban variant of the allotment idea and was established in 2014 at the heart of Carlow Town on what was formerly a disused, overgrown site close to St Leo’s Convent.

The Emigrants and Diaspora Centre (Ionad Cuimhneacháin na nImirceach agus an Diaspóra) in the village of Carna - a citadel to emigrants.

Clann Credo is happy to support the Aradara Sheltered Housing Association. The project addresses an obvious social deficit by addressing the needs of the local elderly population.

Established in 2009, Ashbourne Baseball Club is now pre-eminent among clubs in Ireland, often hosting major national tournaments and fixtures.

Clann Credo provided short term funding for the development of a new IT centre that augments local skills and mitigates loneliness among older community members in Askamore.

In their search for a suitably sized and centrally located premises, the Association came upon an old ESB warehouse in Drogheda, which they subsequently acquired.

Clann Credo's support enabled the Athboy Archery Club to purchase specialised archery equipment to help the Club participate in a greater number of events and create a more inclusive environment.

Take me to the River! Athlone Boat Club is invests in new state-of-the-art facilities to ensure its future at the heart of the community.

Investing in facilities for young people in Longford.

The Aughnamullen Sports, Leisure & Social Development Association dreamed of turning their local GAA club house into a community focal point. Financing from Clann Credo made this dream a reality.

Clann Credo supports the Avondhu Blackwater Partnership because we believe in the importance of their work in assisting communities in the Fermoy/ Mallow area to battle the impact of the downturn.

Over the last two decades a range of sporting bodies in the Ballaghadareen, County Roscommon, have worked cooperatively to improve the range and level of sporting facilities.

Their 180 members have the use of a full sized pitch, floodlights, dressing rooms and meeting rooms. Due to local demand the Club have provided the use of a track around the existing football field.

With financial support from Clann Credo, the community in Ballybane has built its own state of the art Community Centre.

Sometimes access to funding can literally be a matter of life and death. In 1986, two Ballybunion natives - Mike Flahive and TJ McCarron - were called to assist with the rescue of two people lost in c

Bringing a disused National School back into the heart of the community!

Ballyfermot Family Resource Centre has been at the heart of the community for 21 years, providing services and supports for young and old and every age in between.

Ballyhooly is a vibrant village in North Cork and since 2009 the community has gone through a number of improvements.

Established in 2002 as a social housing agency, the focus of the BHA has been on the provision of housing solutions to people with intellectual difficulties, and required more housing than they had.

Bawnboy sits close to Cavan’s border with Fermanagh. In the 1850s - as Ireland struggled with hunger and acute poverty - the town was chosen as the location for a workhouse, a place where the poorest

Recognising that the existing community centre no longer had the capacity to meet local needs, let alone offer new services, the plan to develop Beepark was formulated.

Located in the town of Ballycroy, on the Mayo coastline, Bellacragher Boat Club delivers high-calibre training in all aspects of boat handling, maintenance and navigation.

The Blanchardstown group's focus is on the promotion of Traveller welfare and human rights and tackling social exclusion, through emphasising the equal citizenship of travellers.

What once played host to visitors and tourists in Donegal Town, is now home to a specialised centre that offers vital services and support to families with special needs dependents.

In order to secure the Heritage Park into the future and build on that initial success – it is highly rated as an attraction on tourism sites such as Tripadvisor –Clann Credo provided support to help.

Over the years there was hardly a family in the wider Crossmolina area that did not have some form of contact with Oweninny and Bellacorick, often through successive generations.

Brookpark Business Centre, Dunmanway is a dedicated community enterprise and business centre that houses new start-ups in the food sector in West Cork.

With the co-operation and support of the hurling club, drama club and wider community the organisation developed a community centre to facilitate the needs of all the community.

It would be well-nigh impossible to place a monetary value on those physical structures known generically as ‘community centres’.

Along with the usual soccer programmes, Cahir Park hosts the Football for All programme that is aimed at giving children with disabilities from the ages of 6 to 16 a chance to meet every Sunday.

In 2014, Camp Community Council developed an AstroTurf pitch available to all the community and the surrounding areas. Clann Credo provided finance to cash flow the work.

A purpose built facility for the Carrigaline Men's Shed - Ireland’s first purpose-built Men’s Shed. Dreams do come true!

A long awaited community playground for Carrigkerry, Co. Limerick.

When the people of Castledaly required short-term financial assistance, they turned to Clann Credo.

Charleville Community Sports Complex Limited's first project was a full sized all weather pitch and a smaller all-weather play area with floodlighting was completed in October 2015.

An historic building re-imagined as a community centre upgrades to keep up with the times.

With the help of Clann Credo, Clár ICH provides homes for older people, those with disabilities and for emigrants returning home.

Clare Accessible Transport aims to do more than simply move people from place to place.

The old historic town of Clarecastle underwent rapid expansion over the last decade. But in common with many similar size towns, it was another case of ‘build now, plan later.’

As services across rural Ireland retreat to the larger population centres, older residents are particularly vulnerable to being isolated from the wider community.

Creating renewable energy and a district heating system for Claremorris.

A landmark building within this charming village was recently renovated and the end result is testament to the determination and enterprising spirit of members of this local community.

Comharchumann Forbartha & Fostaiochta Árainn Mhór sits at the social and cultural heart of this island community.

The group was established in 1996 with the central aim of fostering Irish language usage in this Gaeltacht area and beyond.Thus, they recently took on the refurbishment and expansion of facilities.

In November 2012, Templederry Windfarm formally connected to the national grid and began selling its green energy output into the national power supply system.

There was clear demand for a dedicated community space that could meet existing need while also affording room for development of new services and community initiatives.

Clann Credo assisted the Copper Coast Geopark in Waterford with the development of a new centre, which now acts as a hub for the entire park.

Corrib Mask Search and Rescue was established in 2004 replacing an ad hoc group of anglers who provided a basic rescue service on the larger lakes in the South Mayo/North Galway area.

“Clann Credo was able to provide us with the funds we needed to carry out refurbishments, they understood our needs and valued our mission.”

Kate was on the streets at 11 years of age, wholly defenseless and thrust suddenly into danger and despair. She did not choose the streets, but dreadful circumstances in the family home and poor state

Floodlighting and community walkway - a small community with big ambitions!

The group were badly in need of an updated premises to meet their needs and had a simple but ambitious plan: to develop a new integrated Youth Information and Health Service incorporating a Youth Café

For almost 50 years many of the local youth have looked to Dungarvan Scouts as a key outlet for activities and the development of essential outdoor skills and needed a new gear to expand their skills.

For over 28 years, East Clare Community Cooperative has been facilitating community-led growth and renewal in the region and the importance of their work was acknowledged by President Higgins.

Despite the success, East Meath FC soon faced a threat to its very existence, when financial difficulties saw the developer seek repossession of the site in order to put it up for sale.

Housing, education and advocacy for homeless women and children in Cork

The EDI Centre is committed to the development of the people of County Longford and surrounding areas so they can better avail of education, training, information and employment opportunities.

Some 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy, a condition that can be controlled but never cured.

Within the space of a few weeks, the specialist education and training provider EQUAL Ireland had gone from planning the acquisition of its own premises, to contemplating eviction.

Finglas Childcare was set up in 1993 to provide affordable childcare and help unemployed people return to work. 

The Fumbally Exchange - more commonly known as FEx - bravely opened its doors at the height to the worst recession in living memory and a recession that took a heavy toll on certain professions.

When seeking to finance the purchase of three new boats and sails for older vessels, Galway Sea Scouts sought the support of Clann Credo.

Providing a wealth of services to Travellers in the region.

For almost 70 years the Glenealy Village Hall has hosted every conceivable form of community activity, celebration and service.

Headway was founded in 1985 as a support group by families and interested professionals to address the needs of people with brain injuries, their carers and families.

History is all around you on the Hook Head peninsula. Every visitor, guest and unwelcome invader left traces of their passage through this gateway to southeast Ireland, over the years.

Established in 2017 following earlier West Cork experiments with community time banking, the hOUR Timebank sees participants bank and exchange time credits across the broad membership.

An inspired approach to addressing educational and skills disadvantage among young adults with intellectual disabilities!

For affected families, it can be a frightening, isolating experience, particularly when there is nowhere to turn for support and information on autism, but Irish Autism Action (IAA) is trying to help ...

The IKC provides useful guides to living with a dog, the cost of dog ownership, buying an dog, choosing the right dog as well as information on the legal requirements of dog ownership.

Despite our often rugged landscape, it wasn’t until 1965 that organised mountain rescue came to this island.

The efforts of local residents paid off handsomely as they secured possession of the 100 year old garda barracks that is closely associated with John McGahern’s work and life.

While acutely conscious of this rich heritage, the Keash Village Enhancement group is keenly focused on the area’s development and on the delivery of improved amenities for locals and visitors alike.

Every crisis throws up at least one clever, innovative idea. The Men’s Shed movement began life in Australia but gained huge traction internationally with the 2008 global downturn.

Keeping St. James' at the heart of its community and investing in environmental sustainability.

Creating a Music Bank, with members borrowing and using the instruments as required, it would house the necessary staging and amplifications equipment, but at quite a price.

The small coastal Wexford town of some 2000 people lacked the physical amenities, and as such, community activity lacked a focal point and a space in which to locate.

Kyle GAA Club nestles in the borderlands between Tipperary, Offaly and Laois, although it is the latter county that the club calls home.

Leave No Trace created training resources for Tidy Towns Groups and Community Organisations that manage outdoor spaces. You can access them from this Success Story!

Following consultation across the community, Leitrim Sports and Recreation Development devised a plan that would address a range of deficits in both the sporting and recreational spheres

No community occasion would be complete without the sound of the Mullingar Town Band!

Multyfarnham was hard hit by the closure of its Agricultural College, so with Clann Credo's help, a coalition of local groups constructed an entirely new Community Centre and Sports Hall

Founded in 1970, Newport Town AFC has grown from humble beginnings to a modern club with top-class playing facilities and currently have a playing membership of more than 300 people.

When the going got tough for NWDP, Clann Credo was there with financial support, helping them to continue providing communities with critical services.

The Poppintree Centre ran into resource problems shortly after opening. Luckily, longterm financing provided by Clann Credo allowed the centre to overcome these problems.

With their current space no longer supporting the needs of the community, Portarlington accepted that a new space might be exactly what they required to maximize their programs.

A new Enterprise Centre and Innovation Hub for Portarlington with state-of-the-art training and media content creation technology.

Raheny GAA recently secured support from Clann Credo for significant improvement works on its premises. It is just one of many clubs that have benefited from our support over the years.

At Rathmore SAG, with the help of Clann Credo, young and old work together to help create a vibrant community, caring for the needs of the elderly and the young.

More than one in five Irish children are overweight. The Redbranch Cafe Project is determined to reverse these rather ominous trends.

Their core philosophy is simple: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The enterprise is embedded in the local community, creating up to 15 jobs and producing quality, affordable furniture for the local market.

Clann Credo’s financial support allowed the Rosses Point Sea Scouts to upgrade their premises, where they pass on the skills and secrets of seafaring to younger generations.

In 2011, the building from which the group had operated for 17 years became available for purchase. An application for loan finance was submitted to Clann Credo to help finance the purchase.

Members of the Skerries Chamber of Commerce and volunteers in the Community wanted to develop a small park between the two commercial streets in the town.

Homes for Good! Founded in 1997 by Sr Jean Quinn and Eamonn Martin to assist people experiencing homelessness.

Speedpak Group is an award-winning, Dublin-based social enterprise. Originally founded by the Northside Partnership in collaboration with the local business community, its purpose was to address the ...

Reeling them in! Improving access to Spring Lake for local anglers, visitors and international competitions.

Concern about the needs of elderly people in the Mayo town of Newport prompted the formation of St Dominick’s Housing Association.

Founded over 40 years ago in the County Wexford town, St Michael’s has established a strong reputation and track at both national and international level.

Stella Maris FC has not only provided legendary international footballers, but also plays a significant part of the community in Dublin. Clann Credo has helped them create a 'Field of Dreams'.

In 2011 the Community Association undertook a substantial extension of the hall. The two-storey extension now includes a huge range of new facilities enabling many new activities and services.

For over 25 years, Straide and Foxford United have flown the flag for the ‘beautiful game’ in Mayo, after the two formerly independent clubs joined forces, in 1989.

Clann Credo provided two types of loans for this unique and exciting project because of the clear social, economic and educational benefits delivered to a wide range and diversity of people.

But in 2008 when the Thomastown Weir stopped functioning virtually all this activity ground to a halt or was forced to move elsewhere. In response the Thomastown Community River Trust was born.

With the support of Clann Credo, the new and improved Tullow Tennis club has become a powerful example of how communities can rebuild and rejuvenate from within.

Established in 2008 and located in Ferrybank, Kilkenny, the group provides skills training for societies most disenfranchised people which inevitably includes many ex-prisoners.

Vantastic provides an accessible transport service for people with mobility difficulties.

The Waterford Suir Valley Railway is a community heritage social enterprise that began operating in 2003 and has continued to improve and extend the experience for tourists since then.

Wexford Arts Centre, established in 1974, is the oldest regional arts centre in Ireland. Its mission: Arts for All, Arts for Life.

Since moving to their new premises, Wexford Gymnastics Club have approximately 1000 children coming through their doors every week and have begun competing in new disciplines.

The Wicklow Regatta Festival was first staged in 1878 and is mentioned in James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses. Now it's an eclectic festival encompassing, arts, heritage, community and sport.