After opening less than six months ago, and already having provided the Midlands representatives at the national youth music awards, the YoYo Café continues to blossom with the news this week that it is now available for private hire.
From this weekend the new facility on Spoutwell Lane for the musical youth of Mullingar can be rented for as little as €10 an hour, up to just €50 for a whole day.
For the time being, the management of the Café will limit the hiring of the entire premises to meetings, training days, or education programmes.
“Anything we’d find suitable for the premises would be OK. We’d be a bit iffy about them [teen parties], but kids parties would be ok,” said Katie Kiernan, the café’s development officer
However, of greater interest to the parents of the ceoltóirs of the county is the news that the Music Box band rehearsal space is now available to hire for €7.50 an hour, or €20 for a three-hour session, which is a very small price to pay to get your garage back.
Rates for full and half-day rehearsal sessions can be got on request from either Katie Kiernan or Marty Mulligan at the café.
At the moment the YoYo Café is only open on Fridays and Saturdays between 1pm and 6.30pm due to “financial constraints and a lack of volunteers”, according to Ms Kiernan.
However, she did stress that this would not interfere with the hiring out of the Music Box throughout the week as required.
The YoYo Café was opened on December 14 as a place for the u18s of Mullingar after a three-year campaign by a number of dedicated locals.
The facilities available include a chill-out zone, a pool room, a state-of-the-art computer and IT area, a fully equipped band rehearsal room, and a stage for live performances.
Since then, local music icon, Bressie, has signed up to offer masterclasses in songwriting, while Nicky Brennan - Ryan Sheridan’s guitarist - has committed to do the same with the axemen and women of the town.
The facility was put together on a shoestring and at a fraction of the cost of similar ventures, because of the generosity of the town and its people.
“DG [Kelly] built the stage, Claire Garry designed the interior, Alan Nolan gave us a load of gear. And the landlord was really good, unbelievably good. Really cool. That’s what’s really good about this,” said a spokesperson for the trustees.
