Abbeys, burial places, castles and all kinds of monuments of renown around the country are to share in a €4 million conservation and maintenance project fund.
And Castleisland’s 1226 established Norman castle is to benefit to the tune of €21,516.00 in the project aimed at supporting the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of local monuments and historic sites.
News Channeled Down
The news from the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD was channelled to us by Cllr. Bobby O’Connell and Cllr. Fionnán Fitzgerald in that chronological order.
Both councillors expressed their delight that the local castle is included in the funding allocations.
Cllr. Fitzgerald brought the issue of the state of the castle up at a recent Castleisland Corca Dhuibhne Municipal District meeting.
“But I’m delighted that Robert McGuire and his team got going on the project and brought it over the line,” he said/
Archaeological Heritage Projects
In all a total of 139 project grants across all 31 local authorities will take in a wide range of archaeological heritage projects under the department’s community monuments fund which was first established in 2020 and increased from just over €1 million last year to €4.2 million in 2021.
Enabling Conservation Works
It contains a number of different measures aimed at enabling conservation works to be carried out on archaeological monuments which are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support, encouraging access to archaeological monuments and improving their presentation and also building resilience in archaeological monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change.
Architects and Stone Masons
Speaking today, Minister Noonan said that he’s delighted to be able to increase the awards for 2021 to €4.2 million.
“This fund will support 139 projects all over Ireland to protect our archaeological heritage. There are communities in every county who care for and champion their local monuments, and I’m delighted that they will benefit from this scheme.
“And it is a massive support to the heritage sector, providing job opportunities across these projects for archaeologists, conservation architects, stone masons, and other professional trades.
Range of Wonderful Projects
“I want to thank the local authorities for their support of the community monuments fund and for
submitting such a wide range of wonderful heritage projects.
The quality of this year’s applications was particularly impressive and I am delighted that we are able to meet the ambition of local communities across the country in protecting and caring for their heritage,” Minister Noonan concluded.
Resilient Past Echoed
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD said that our archaeological heritage lies at the very heart of communities, an inheritance of monuments
echoing a resilient past that we are obliged to protect.
“These monuments provide a sense of place to rural communities, villages and towns and cities across the country.
“With my colleague, Minister Noonan, we have grown this fund significantly from last year to have a real impact on communities across the land.
Private Owners as Custodians
“I am also delighted to see so many archaeological monuments in private ownership benefitting and want to acknowledge the dedication of private owners as custodians of a significant share of our archaeological heritage.
“We are delighted to be able to provide this support,” said Minister O’Brien.
A full list of the projects being funded is set out below and can be found on the department’s website www.gov.ie/housing
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