Laois County Council

Tag: Malcolm Noonan

  • €2 million Community Monuments Fund Launched

    €2 million Community Monuments Fund Launched

    Malcolm Noonan, T.D, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, has launched the 2021 Community Monuments Fund which will invest €2 million in the protection and promotion of archaeological heritage during 2021. The €2 million allocation is an increase of 75% on last year’s funding.

    The grants available under the Community Monuments Fund will help custodians and owners of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future for the benefit of local communities and the visiting public. In addition, they will provide support for heritage professions and job opportunities in building conservation and other traditional skills.

    Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council said “Laois County Council is delighted to be working with the National Monuments Service again this year on the Community Monuments Fund. Last year essential conservation work was carried out at Killabban Church under the scheme, and Conservation Plans for medieval churches at Kilmanman and Dysart Gallen were commissioned and the graveyard at Old Lea recorded. None of this vital work would have been possible without the Community Monuments Funding”

    Killabban Church with the Conservation Committee, including John Moran and Liam Delaney. The conservation of the church was funded in 2020 through the Community Monuments Fund

    Applications by private owners or community groups for funding under the under the CMF must be made to Laois County Council by 12th April. Application forms and full details are on the website of Laois County Council at laois.ie/heritage.

    The Community Monuments Fund was first established as part of the 2020 July Jobs Stimulus introduced in response to the Covid emergency. In 2020, some 71 heritage projects were funded to the value of €1.15 million. It is anticipated that that the 2021 programme being run by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s National Monuments Service will support more than 120 projects across the country.

    The core aims of the Community Monuments Fund are the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of archaeological monuments. Funding is available for:

    • conservation works to monuments which are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support,
    • works to improve access to and presentation of monuments, and
    • building resilience into monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change.

    Funding is available in three streams.

    • Stream 1 for essential repairs and conservation works at archaeological monuments.
    • Stream 2 for development of Conservation Management Plans/Reports to identify necessary conservation measures and any issues requiring future attention.
    • Stream 3 for enhancement of access infrastructure and interpretation at archaeological monuments, including development of online interpretative material.

    Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage Malcolm Noonan TD said “We have a responsibility towards our heritage and to those who care for it. When we established the Community Monuments Fund in 2020, we did so with the objective of supporting the heritage sector and providing an effective way of assisting Local Authorities and custodians in protecting Ireland’s remarkable yet vulnerable archaeological heritage.

    “With the excellent partnership between Local Authorities and our National Monuments Service, the 2020 Fund supported an extraordinary level of community engagement and public participation in heritage. It provided traditional skills opportunities and strengthened the role of heritage in communities across the country, highlighting the role of heritage in providing a strong sense of place and well-being. We are very pleased to be able to grow the fund significantly this year and hope to support over 120 projects which will provide a local economic boost with thousands of hours of employment for stone masons, conservation architects, archaeologists and others, in sustainable job opportunities in the care of our heritage.”

    How to Apply

    The closing date for applications by private owners or community groups is 12th April 2021.

    Community Monuments Fund Application Form: CMF-A Application

    CMF Scheme Guidelines: Guidelines document

     

    Note

    Completed application forms must be submitted to the Heritage Office of Laois County Council by 12th April. Forms must be  submitted in Word format by email only.

    Please read the scheme guidelines carefully and compete all relevant sections of the form.

    Please note the requirement for an appropriately qualified building conservation professional to oversee any proposed conservation works, and for a comprehensive Method Statement to accompany all applications. See Guidelines above for information on what should be in Method Statements). The absence of a suitably comprehensive Method Statement will result in a project failing at assessment stage.

    If you have any questions please contact the Heritage Office to discuss.

     

    Dysart Gallen church had a Conservation Plan funded through the 2020 Community Monuments Fund
  • Funding for historic buildings announced

    Funding for historic buildings announced

    Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan has launched the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund for 2021. With €6m in funding across both schemes, they represent a significant boost to the conservation of Ireland’s built heritage. It is expected the schemes will support hundreds of projects while also creating over 30,000 days of employment.

    Minister Noonan said: “Now, more than ever, our communities must be supported in their efforts to repair, preserve and restore our built heritage. The importance of our built environment cannot be overstated. It is an integral part of our culture, our sense of pride and is of huge importance to our local economies. I am therefore delighted to be able to announce an increase in investment for both the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures fund for 2021. Today’s announcement is an indication of the Government’s continued commitment to improving our built environment.”

    The Conservation Grants are managed on the ground in Laois by Laois County County Council. Welcoming the Minister’s announcement, Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council said “We are delighted to work with our central government colleagues and with private owners and community groups to owners to look after the local built heritage of Laois and to ensure that our heritage is protected as a community asset. In 2020, 9 projects in Laois were funded by the two schemes, to a total of €155,000 for projects ranging from thatched cottages to large country houses. One of the more well known projects is the ongoing conservation of the homeplace of James Fintan Lalor by the local community in Raheen. We look forward to the increased funding allowing us to work with more owners to conserve more properties and to support more local jobs in the construction sector”.

     

    Tinakill House, homeplace of James Fintan Lalor. The house was in danger of collapse a number of years ago and the hard work of the local community has saved it and secured its future, with the support of Laois County Council, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Heritage Council.
    Tinakill House, homeplace of James Fintan Lalor. The house was in danger of collapse a number of years ago and the hard work of the local community has saved it and secured its future, with the support of Laois County Council, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Heritage Council.

    The Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund will support the owners and custodians of protected structures in every local authority area across the country in 2021. Together, both schemes will assist hundreds of small-scale, labour- intensive projects as well as larger-scale projects to repair and conserve our historic built environment. The projects will also give significant support to local jobs in conservation, traditional skills and construction, providing a vital boost to local economies during challenging times a cumulative total of some 30,000 days of employment will be generated.

    The 2021 Historic Structures Fund will also include two new pilot streams: one for vernacular structures and another for historic shopfronts.

    “The vernacular structures stream will support what can be termed ‘informal’ traditional buildings that are a significant part of our intangible cultural heritage,” Minister Noonan outlined. “Historic shopfronts have always been eligible to apply for funding under the HSF; to incentivise such applications in 2021, Local Authorities will be allowed to shortlist an additional project if that project concerns the refurbishment and conservation of historic shop facades, windows and/or signs.”

    Thatched house, Laois
    Laois County Council has given priority for many years to thatched houses under the conservation grant schemes and now that commitment is being matched at national level with a new vernacular heritage pilot stream under the Historic Structures Fund.

    The funding includes a total of €3 million for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme – an increase of 20% from last year’s scheme – and €3 million for the Historic Structures Fund – an increase of over 75% from HSF 2020. Applications open from now until 29 January 2021. Details of the schemes and how to apply are available on the website of Laois County Council .