Funding applications for historic sites are invited

FUNDING is now available to help safeguard some of West Cork’s most loved historic structures and monuments.

Cork County Council is inviting owners and custodians to apply for funding under three schemes announced for 2024: the community monuments fund, the built heritage investment scheme, and the historic structures fund.

Under the built heritage investment scheme, applicants can receive grants of up to €15,000 for small-scale works to repair and preserve their historic properties. These grants relate to protected structures and properties located within architectural conservation areas and a range of different properties and projects are awarded funding each year. The 2023 scheme supported 17 different projects, ranging from churches and thatched houses to country houses, town houses and retail premises.

The historic structures fund will focus on conservation projects that deliver a major community benefit and successful applicants may receive up to €200,000 for their project. The scheme also offers funding for vernacular structures and for historic shopfronts.

The community monuments dund will enable conservation works to be carried out on archaeological monuments which are deemed to be significant and in need of support. It aims to build resilience in monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change, to encourage access to monuments and to improve their presentation. The fund, which has been operating annually since its establishment in 2020, has seen an investment of €911,000 for 17 different archaeological sites in Co Cork.

‘How we regard our heritage and how we protect and promote it is of the utmost importance,’ county mayor Frank O’Flynn said. ‘I encourage people to avail of these schemes to protect the old buildings that we work in or live in, and the thousands of archaeological monuments reminding us that this county has been home to millions of people over thousands of years.

 This generation and each successive one needs to do what they can towards ensuring that the built and archaeological heritage held dear today, can be marvelled at, and enjoyed for many more years to come.’

Cork County Council ceo Valerie O’Sullivan said the county is steeped in built and archaeological heritage with close to 3,000 protected structures, over 50 architectural conservation areas and close to 20,000 recorded archaeological monuments. More than €16m has been ring-fenced across the three schemes for 2024. ‘Cork is noted for its built and archaeological heritage, and schemes such as these can ensure that this aspect of the county’s heritage is continuously being supported,’ she said.

The deadline for submission of completed applications is 4pm on Thursday, January 18th for the built heritage scheme and historic structures fund, and 4pm on Wednesday, January 31st in respect of the community monuments fund 2024. Applications can be made by emailing [email protected]. For information and application forms, visit
www.corkcoco.ie