Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, has today announced the approval of 139 project grants across all 31 Local Authorities for a wide range of archaeological heritage projects under the Department’s Community Monuments Fund.
Funding awarded - Community Monuments Fund 2021
Funding awarded for Sligo projects under Community Monuments Fund 2021
St. Fechins Church, Ballysadare, Co. Sligo
First established in 2020, the fund was increased from just over €1 million last year to €4.2 million in 2021.
The core objective of the Community Monuments Fund is to support the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of local monuments and historic sites. 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.
Speaking today, Minister Noonan said:
“I’m delighted to be able to increase the Community Monuments Fund awards for 2021 to €4.2 million. This fund will support 139 projects all over Ireland to protect our archaeological heritage, make it more accessible and help to build resilience against extreme weather and the impacts of climate change – a key priority action in our Climate Adaptation Plan. 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.
Minister Noonan added:
“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.”
Funding of €204,637 has been announced across seven projects in County Sligo:
| Project | Funding Awarded |
|---|---|
| Moygara Castle | €84,979 |
| Easky Abbey | €20,650 |
| Doonfore Castle | €25,000 |
| Enniscrone Castle | €14,000 |
| St. Fechins Church, Ballysadare | €18,372 |
| Kilross Cross Pillar Stone | €11,635 |
| The Green Fort, Sligo | €30,000 |
The Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Councillor Dara Mulvey welcomed the announcement by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage of the funding of projects through the ‘Community Monuments Fund 2021’
‘This is excellent news for our Authority and our county. The protection of our archaeological heritage is one of our most important functions, and this funding will enable us to work with communities to plan for the preservation and protection of some of the most significant archaeological monuments in the county’.
Chair of Sligo Heritage Forum, Councillor Dónal Gilroy added –
‘Our archaeological heritage lies at the very heart of communities. Our monuments provide a sense of place to rural communities, villages and towns across the county. I want to acknowledge the dedication of private owners and local communities in their role as custodians of our archaeological heritage. We are delighted with the Departments support for Sligo’s heritage and we look forward to working with the Department and local communities in delivering these projects over the coming months’