Ballyshannon and Lifford projects to benefit from funding under Historic Structures Fund





 

Three projects in Donegal will benefit to the tune of €108,000 from a total of €4.5m under this year’s Historic Structures Fund (HSF).

They are the Town Clock, Main Street, Ballyshannon: funding of €50,000 for internal structural repair of walls and floors, including the repair and renewal of rotted timbers, securing lath and plaster, and repair of external joinery; Clonleigh Parish Church (St Lugadius), Lifford: funding of €32,000 for conservation repairs to cast iron window frames and surrounding cut stone and Cavanacor House in Lifford: funding of €26,000 for conservation repairs to rainwater goods, external doors, and windows at Cavanacor House, a protected structure of national importance.

This announcement by the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, today will see a total of 95 heritage projects across the country benefit

In addition to supporting owners and custodians of historic and protected structures to safeguard and maintain their properties, this funding will also provide a welcome boost to local construction and heritage trades by facilitating works with a total value of over €8m and generating more employment (an estimated 11,250 days’ labour), including for specialist heritage roles such as thatching and stonework

The HSF is one of two built heritage funding schemes that work in partnership with owners and the 31 local authorities to protect our built heritage – a key aim of Heritage Ireland 2030, the new national heritage plan launched by the Minister last year.

Today’s announcement follows the awarding earlier this month of €4.5m in funding under the department’s other built heritage grant scheme – the Built Heritage Investment Scheme. 

By providing grants of between €15,000 and €200,000, the HSF assists owners of heritage structures – including those on the local authorities’ Record of Protected Structures and those in Architectural Conservation Areas – to meet their obligations to care for their properties.

The scheme provides assistance to a wide range of heritage structures, including castles, churches, mills, bridges, shopfronts, and thatch structures, as well as to private houses.

In cooperation with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, a grant has also been offered under the Irish-language shopfront stream. Nine larger projects awarded funding over two years under HSF 2022 will also be funded this year.