Death of a venue: The sad decline of Letterkenny’s The Green Room

RIP


Sometime last year, a venue in my home town of Letterkenny called The Green Room closed. The Green Room was part of a larger complex, which includes a nightclub, a bar and a vintage-style lounge and now, in the place of the Green Room, a wine bar and tap room. The closure of Green Room was, in my opinion, a huge loss to both the town and to me and my group of friends. I was particularly sad about the whole thing because I think it is possible that I am the most sentimental person in the entire world. For me, the Green Room had meant so much and just like that, it was gone.

The closure of the Green Room was understandable. I can’t imagine they ever made much of a profit. There would only be a crowd if there was live music, and often not even then. In a town of just over twenty thousand residents, in spite of the excellent local music scene, having more than one or two gigs a week was unlikely. I remember going to the Green Room to see a popular local DJ with a few of my friends and before we arrived, there were only two other customers and no one else came in after that. This wasn’t an entirely unusual occurrence. However, when the Green Room got a good crowd, the atmosphere was always wonderful.

I have always had a bit of a baby face and therefore despite my best efforts (and an ID I borrowed from the older sister of my friend), I rarely gained entry to clubs before my eighteenth birthday. Naturally, this led to hype that unfortunately, the clubs in the town could not live up to. I realised quickly that I found clubs very boring. The Green Room offered an attractive alternative. Going to clubs, I felt like wearing the same outfit for a second time was a massive faux pas, whereas in the Green Room, I felt comfortable wearing a nice dress but I also would have happily walked in with whatever outfit I happened to be wearing during the day. Although I love clothes, I never felt too preoccupied with what I was wearing because I was too busy having a good time with interesting people.

Letterkenny and the greater Donegal area has an absolutely amazing music scene. It is one of the things that makes me proudest to be from Donegal. There’s nothing wrong with a fun night in a club having a bop along to chart music but sometimes it can get a bit predictable. On the other hand, in a small club with live music, you are able to see a variety of music, from folk to punk to gypsy jazz. On one occasion, there was even a heavy metal night. I’m not even into metal but I’m for fans of the genre it was great to attend such a gig in their own home town.

Attending gigs in your home town, you have the privilege of seeing local acts develop before your very eyes. You can witness musicians growing, improving and processing their influences until they find a sound that is uniquely theirs. Seeing bands from Letterkenny develop in this way over the years has made me feel like a proud mother, witnessing the growth of her child.

The live music in the Green Room was not limited to local talent, however. Some musical acts that you may never hear on the radio can still have a small but dedicated following and often do tours of smaller venues. They may tour the country or even come from further afield to do European tours. There’s something lovely about seeing a gig poster you simply like the look of, deciding to go with a mate and stumbling across music you fall in love with. On the other hand, it’s possible that you will hate the band but in an informal setting such as the Green Room, even that doesn’t matter. You can just sit at the back, having a drink and a chat with your friend.

Blue steel in a Green Room

And now it’s gone and we’ve lost it forever. We miss you terribly Green Room – please come back to us. Letterkenny needs you.