Funding for Bantry library

BOTH Bantry and Macroom are to receive combined funding of almost €300,000 to boost their local economies and address vacancy.

This funding falls under the 2023 Historic Towns Initiative (HTI) and will help to provide jobs through heritage-led regeneration. 

A joint initiative between the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Heritage Council, this year’s scheme follows on from projects during 2018 to 2022. 

The HTI seeks proposals that encourage the specific re-use of historic buildings with works on this year’s projects to be completed before the end of the year.

Bantry is set to receive €259,920, which will enable conservation works, including window replacement to Bantry Library, which is a significant modernist building of local, national and international architectural interest and one of Cork’s finest public buildings of the 20th century.

Meanwhile, funding of €40,000 has been awarded to Macroom as part of a heritage-led regeneration plan.

Virginia Teehan, chief executive of the Heritage Council, said that collaboration is the cornerstone of the scheme.

‘It owes its success to the determination of community groups, local authority partners and colleagues ingGovernment, together.’