Press release
Our Rural Future Roadshow: Minister Humphreys opens a series of rural development projects in County Monaghan
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, today (Friday 2nd July) launched €3 million in projects in County Monaghan as part of a nationwide tour to promote Our Rural Future.
Our Rural Future is the government’s new rural development strategy, which aims to revitalise towns and villages, promote remote working, and ensure balanced regional development.
The projects opened today in Monaghan represent an investment of over €3 million by the Minister’s department with significant additional match funding provided locally.
As part of today’s whistle-stop tour of the county, Minister Humphreys this morning:
Speaking at the opening of the Memorial Garden, Minister Humphreys said:
“It was a great privilege to be able to open the memorial garden in memory of Big Tom. I want to acknowledge the fantastic efforts by the local community in developing this wonderful amenity which will be a lovely place for family, friends and future generations in Oram to gather and remember Tom.”
On Friday afternoon, Minister Humphreys also visited a series of other projects including:
The Minister concluded her visit by launching the Clones Heritage and Economic Plan.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister said:
“It is fantastic to see all the key stakeholders, who care deeply about the future development of Clones, working collaboratively to produce this strategy.
“That is exactly the type of approach that we need to see in Rural Ireland, particularly as we recover from Covid-19.
“There is fantastic work happening in Clones at the moment from the regeneration of Fermanagh Street to the recently approved €13m in funding for the restoration of the Ulster Canal which my Department is also supporting.
“This strategy which is community-led, based on a bottom-up approach and underpinned by engagement with the public and the local business community will help to build on that strong progress in the town.”
Please find full details of the investments and projects launched/visited as part of the Minister’s engagements in Monaghan.
Investment amounts and funding schemes
Oram
Castleblayney
Bawn
Lough Egish / Aughnamullen
Ballybay
Annalore
Clones
The Heritage and Economic Plan is designed to support collaborative projects and assess the unique selling point (USP), quality of public spaces and civic landmarks in the town, in order to develop and formulate visionary plans for their future development, management and promotion.
It sets out the detail of phased coordinated projects that will enhance and improve the way Clones Town functions on a day-to-day basis, with resulting long-term socio-economic, cultural and environmental benefits for residents, communities, businesses and visitors.
The Castleblayney Enterprise Centre (The Ridge Business, Enterprise and Technology Centre) is a Category 1 project that was approved for funding from the first call to the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund which was announced in February 2019.
Monaghan County Council has partnered with Castleblayney Enterprise Development Committee, Monaghan County Enterprise Fund and Castleblayney Regeneration Committee to deliver the project.
The enterprise centre will be a community run centre providing high quality office space for new and existing businesses in the centre of the town. The building is located on a derelict site of 0.352 (0.870Acre) with an overall building area of 1,350 sqm (14,500sqft). The project will provide 842 sqm (9,063 sqft) of office accommodation divided into 24 units of variable size.
This project was originally approved for funding of €2,138,560 from the first call under the RRDF. Following procurement the cost of the project increased to €3,483,182. In November 2020, the Minister approved additional funding of €473,500 for the project, taking the revised funding for the project to €2,613,136.
This project received funding of €60,245 under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme 2019, with match-funding of €15,061 provided by Monaghan County Council.
The project emanated from engagement with Oram Community Development Committee, who wished to commemorate Big Tom, not only as a Country Singer, but for his lifelong commitment and contribution to community life in Oram.
The design of the Garden was undertaken by Monaghan County Council’s in-house horticulturist, Michael Carroll, in collaboration with the Development Committee and engineering staff from Carrickmacross/Castleblayney Municipal District. Shaffrey Landscaping were the appointed Contractor.
Ably led by Matthew Lambe, the District Engineer, the team has successfully delivered a very beautiful and tranquil destination space for Big Tom’s beloved family, the Oram community and the legions of “Big Tom” fans form across the country. This garden will pay lasting tribute to the remarkable life and legacy of Big Tom McBride.
The Oram Community Development also received funding under the CLÁR 2019 Programme for the upgrade of the car park facilities and footpaths which has greatly enhanced the area.