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Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys today (Thursday 30 November) officially opened Ireland’s newest library in Kinsale, County Cork.
The major regeneration project has seen the Old Mill in the centre of the town, which dates, back to the late 1800s, re-purposed into a state-of-the-art library and cultural space.
The Kinsale Library Project received €2.17 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund with an additional investment of €2.6 million provided by Cork County Council.
Also today, Minister Humphreys visited Ballydesmond in North West Cork where she officially opened the Ballydesmond Pocket Park, which was also funded under RRDF.
Speaking today, Minister Humphreys said:
“This is a hugely significant day for County Cork as we officially unveil two major regeneration projects. I was delighted to officially open the fantastic Kinsale Library project – a €4.8 million facility in the centre of the town which will transform the visitor experience and bring new vibrancy to Kinsale.
“With the support of over €2.17 million from my department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, this project has brought a historic old mill building in the town centre back to life to provide a state of the art new library for the community. This is what the RRDF is all about – tackling vacancy and dereliction and breathing new life into our rural town centres.
“Kinsale is also now host to Ireland’s newest library. It’s a facility that will do so much in terms of providing a wonderful library, community and cultural venue and bringing people of all ages together.”
The RRDF investment is consistent with the Our Rural Future and Town Centre First objectives of attracting more people to live, work, invest in and enjoy rural towns through strategic regeneration.
The Minister also visited Ballydesmond to officially open The Ballydesmond Pocket Park project. The Pocket Park has been delivered as part of an overall project to improve the village centre that received RRDF funding of almost €870,000.
Speaking at the opening today in Ballydesmond, Minister Humphreys said:
“I was very pleased as well to visit the village of Ballydesmond today to officially open the wonderful Pocket Park project. This new park has provided a vibrant, attractive space for the local community to gather, socialise, exercise or simply relax.
“Funding of almost €870,000 was provided from my department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to enhance Ballydesmond village through the delivering of this park, as well as the delivery of much needed public realm improvements and recreational amenities for the community.
“All and all, Cork today is benefitting from an investment of almost €5.8 million, which really will make such a difference to the communities of Kinsale, Ballydesmond and beyond.”
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It offers a blueprint for a thriving and inclusive rural Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. In total the Fund has now provided over €412 million for 215 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €565 million.
In relation to projects in County Cork, the Fund has provided €34.32 million for 19 projects worth a total of €59.4 million.
The new strategy was developed by the Department of Rural and Community Development in partnership with the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and local authorities. It is a 5-year plan for the period 2023-27 which sets out the strategic context for further investment in library infrastructure, technology, programmes and services.
The Town Centre First policy contains 33 unique actions which will give our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business. The policy also contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings. The actions also support the protection of our environment, as well as the heritage and culture of our towns.