€190,000 for Meath heritage projects
Over €190,000 has been awarded to 24 projects in Meath under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme announced last week by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan.
The Meath allocation is part of the €4.5m in funding announced for 556 heritage projects around the country
The BHIS is one of two built heritage funding schemes run by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in association with the 31 Local Authorities. The scheme assists owners of heritage structures – including those on the local authorities’ Record of Protected Structures and those in Architectural Conservation Areas – to meet their obligations to care for their properties by providing match-funded grants of up to €15,000 for standard projects (not involving thatch).
The scheme is not limited to private dwellings but also provides assistance to a wide range of other important heritage structures. This year’s BHIS includes awards to several local historic structures, including: Drogheda Port Company, Harbourville, Agher Church, Rowen House, Market Street, Kells; Belfry Tower, Church of the Assumption, Moynalty; Castle Odder, Dunsany and St Mary's Convent, Trim.
Also included under this year’s scheme is funding of €500,000 for conservation repairs to eligible historic thatched structures with grants of up to €20,000 available through the scheme. Meath County Council has been awarded €14,652 for three such structures.
Speaking of the announcement, Minister Noonan said:“It gives me great pleasure to announce this significant investment in our built heritage which will allow so many owners and custodians of historic and protected structures across the country to complete necessary works to maintain these structures and safeguard them for the benefit of future generations.
“This funding represents a 12.5 per cent increase on last year’s funding and underlines this Government’s continuing commitment to protect and preserve our built environment, in line with the goals set out in Heritage Ireland 2030, the new national heritage plan, which I launched last year.”
Details of awards granted under the Department’s other built heritage scheme, the Historic Structures Fund, will also be announced following assessment in the coming weeks.
The full list of Meath projects to benefit includes:
Grange Cottage, Grange, Kilbride, repair works on thatch roof €8,961; Trohanny Cottage, Trohanny, Moynalty, repair works on thatch roof, €2,399; McDonoughs Cottage, Triton Road, Bettystown, thatch repair and renewal, €3,292; Teltown House, Navan, window replacement, €5,443; Rowen House, Market Street, Kells, rail guards & lime render, €9,037; Larchill Gardens, Kilcock, restoration of gazebo folly, €5,500; Drogheda Port Company, Harbourville, Mornington Road, shot blasting wrought iron cross braced tower, €12,300; Market Street, Kells, Co Meath, fanlight restoration, €1,436; Agher Church, Agher, re-setting stone barges, re-slating and flashings, €15,000
St Seachnall’s Church, Dunshaughlin, re-plastering in lime and repairing louvres and cast iron rain water goods, €9,310; The Toll House, Kilmoon Cross, Ashbourne, restoration of original sash windows, €7,945; J O Connells Bar, Skryne Hill, Tara, Navan, roof to be stripped and refitted using new nails, €9,310; Belfry Tower, Church of the Assumption, Newcastle, Moynalty, Belfry Tower Restoration, €11,577; Old School House, Moyrath, Kildalkey, Roof Repair/Restoration; €9,310;
The Old Glebe, Drumconrath, Navan, refurbish three windows, €2,724; Drewstown House, Fordstown, window restoration, €9,310; Slane Castle, Slane, emergency structural repairs to main staircase, repairs to Juliet balconies, €9,310; Headfort House, Headfort Demesne, Kells, repairs and repointing of stone repairs, €11,170;
The Dublin Bar, The Square, Oldcastle, restoration of Building Façade, €12,124; Castle Odder, Odder, Dunsany, rainwater goods and plaster, €14,912; St Mary's Convent, Emmet Street, Trim, rainwater goods repair and refurbishment, €13,876; Herd's Cottage, Hilltown, Bellewstown, resinstatement of cobble, €9,310.