Since its foundation in 1978, the Triskel Arts Centre has played a seminal role in the cultural life of Cork. Now it has more to offer.
The original Triskel, in Tobin Street off South Main Street, one of the most historic parts of Cork, was hardly a Pompidou Centre or a Barbican. But it kept faith with itself and believed in what it was doing.
Slowly but surely, Tobin Street came alive because of the presence of the Triskel. Even in the early days it was imaginative and innovative and had rejuvenation on its mind - not only of its own poor location in those days but of the arts in Cork.
In a dramatic use of space, architects, the McCarthy/Lynch Partnership, have developed a £450,000 phase two of the Triskel. These days as you stroll along Tobin Street, with the old Christchurch building - now the archive headquarters in Cork - adjacent, and parkland nearby, the Triskel Arts Centre is the dominant focus.
The Arts Council rowed in with a grant of £200,000 for the additional space. A further £150,000 was raised through corporate sponsorship. The Ireland Fund was another contributor. Only a small shortfall remains.
The Triskel has always placed a heavy emphasis on education workshops and for years has been running them successfully.
The problem was that space was at a premium in the old building and the centre had to look elsewhere in the city to find it. Now there is a dedicated, bright and airy education workshop area on the spot.
The philosophy is that if you want to get children interested in the arts you must catch them young. They can hardly be caught any younger than at 18 months, and in the Triskel's new education workshop the aim is to bring in tiny tots with their parents - because this is not a creche - to meet other tiny tots while the parents meet other parents.
The little ones experiment with colour and paints: the Triskel makes new friends.
The workshop caters for children up to five years of age in a safe environment. There is no charge, but it is not a case of dropping them off on a rainy day - arrangements must be made, says press officer Orla O'Neill.
Triskel also offers outreach programmes to community groups in Carrigaline, Bandon, Blackpool, Hollyhill, Mayfield, Fermoy and Blarney.
The arts centre is used regularly by schools in the Cork area and by other groups in the city. It has always been the policy that it should be a community-based arts facility, reaching into places where, until now, the arts were considered an elitist preserve. Aisling Roche is the newly-appointed education officer.
If a stranger to Cork, the nearest landmark is the Beamish and Crawford Brewery. Find that and you are only a stone's throw from the Triskel which, never more so than now, is worth a visit.
The new development includes two artists' studios on the fourth floor. They are simple, some might say austere. The artists must submit written applications for the studios, which Triskel can make available for anything from three to 18 months.
There is a new gallery on the ground floor in an old grain warehouse. There is also a new cafe, bar and restaurant called Gon Blu in keeping with its blue colour scheme and run by Grainne O'Neill and Anne O'Sullivan.
You can eat here right through from breakfast to dinner. Calamari, bruschetta of roast Mediterranean vegetables, filo baskets with artichoke and goats cheese, and horissa are among the specialities on offer.
The original Triskel gallery has also been totally refurbished and reroofed. Colin Martin is exhibiting in the ground-floor gallery this week.
Shadows of the American Dream, a collection of paintings and photographs by Peter Hendrick, is also on show. In their own workshop close by, the children are drawing from his work to create city-scape murals. This Friday a group show opens called New Generations. Artists taking part will include Ben Reilly, Colette Nolan, Andrew Boyle, Catherine Beug and Sue Cunliffe. The works have been selected by Dr Rosemary Manning and some of the works can be acquired for as little as £15O.
If Triskel means anything, it means giving young talent a chance. Sculptor Eilis O'Connell, singer Sinead Lohan, artist James Scanlon and singer Finbar Wright are among those who found the centre a welcoming one when they were trying to make their way.
Arthouse film has come to Cork because of the Triskel. The Cork Film Festival, having lost its way, was brought back to life by Triskel. Its role in fostering contemporary arts has been a forceful one and will be all the more so now.