Introduction
After much discussion our class decided to select The Little mill in Tuam, Co. Galway as our favourite building for the Irish Independent Building for the Future project. We selected this building for many reasons including its important roll in the history of the town, its location beside the River Nanny, its structure and design, our fascination with the workings of the wheel and the wildlife in the area. We could see many possibilities for the development of the building and the grounds in the future.This project has taken two months to complete. During this time we visited the Little Mill many times and discovered that there are many people in our town who had a great interest in the history and future of the mill and had stories to tell us about it. We got information by visiting the library, viewing archives, taking photographs, sending out questionnaires and interviewing people. Once we started the whole school became enthusiastic about it and many classes drew pictures, wrote poetry and visited the mill.
Unfortunately the building is falling into disrepair, the grounds are unkempt, there is no lighting in this area, the river is overgrown and polluted and it has lost its importance in the modern Tuam.
When the Mill was up and running it was an important area of the town for the people. Our plan for the future is to develop this area again. If the streets around the Mill were pedestrianised, the Mill re-developed and the grounds
tidied up, the whole area could once again become the focal area in our town.
Recent developments have seen the building of multi-storey car parks, a shopping centre and many apartment blocks around the Mill, and we feel if this beautiful area around our town’s river could be enhanced and used properly, the whole town could enjoy it both now and in the future.
The Little Mill as it was before President Erskine Childers performed the opening ceremony of the Mill Museum in 1974.