Ó An Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán
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Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, T.D, has announced the establishment of a new Community Monuments Fund. The Fund forms part of the July Jobs Stimulus 2020 which aims to offset some of the effects of Covid-19 by revitalising the economy, providing protection for small businesses and getting people back to work.
The Community Monuments Fund will invest €900,000 in our valuable archaeological heritage this year to help the owners and custodians of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future for the benefit of local communities and the visiting public.
The core aims of this new Fund are the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of local monuments and historic sites. It will have a number of funding streams aimed at enabling conservation works to be carried out on monuments which are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support, encouraging access to monuments and improve their presentation and also to build resilience in monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change. Various streams will focus on these objectives and will fund essential repairs and capital conservation and access works at archaeological monuments and also the development of Conservation Management Plans/Reports to identify necessary conservation measures of monuments and improve public access. A third stream will offer grants for enhancement of access infrastructure (including COVID protection) and interpretation at archaeological monuments.
Speaking today, Minister Noonan said:
“We have a responsibility towards our heritage and to those who care for it and this investment will help to ensure that it continues to enrich all of our lives as we emerge from this crisis.
This is just one measure from the additional investment we are making in the heritage sector through the jobs stimulus initiative, investment that we will aim to build on in the years ahead to secure jobs and protect heritage, making it more accessible to all.
The grant assistance to landowners and communities in the maintenance, protection and promotion of local monuments and historic sites in private ownership will help the heritage sector and provide opportunities for heritage enhancement across the country.”
The €900,000 Community Monuments Fund is part of an overall additional €8.5m secured for the heritage sector for 2020 through the July Jobs Stimulus initiative. Applications for grants can be made by Local Authorities for works to monuments in public ownership, where a clear heritage focus and community or public benefit has been demonstrated and projects proposed by a Local Authority on foot of applications from private applicants who are the owners or custodians of monuments.
The closing date for applications for the 2020 round of grants is cob Tuesday 22 September 2020.
Details of the Fund are available here.