Funding Available for the Protection of County Cork’s Heritage

Restoration work on roof of a protected structure.

Cork County Council is inviting owners and custodians to apply for funding to safeguard protected structures and archaeological monuments in County Cork. Three funding streams have been announced for 2024, including the Community Monuments Fund, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, and the Historic Structures Fund.

Under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, successful 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 Fund 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 Scheme has three streams of funding, all of which offer up to 100% of eligible costs. The Community Monuments Fund, for example, which has been operating annually since its establishment in 2020, has seen an investment of over Nine Hundred Thousand Euro (€911K) for 17 different archaeological sites in County Cork.

The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn said,

Heritage is all around us, it is what defines us as a people. How we regard our heritage and how we protect and promote it is of the utmost importance. 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.

Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie O’Sullivan said,

County Cork 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. Each of these three schemes have benefited the county’s heritage significantly in the last number of years and on the national level, over €16million has been ringfenced across the three schemes for 2024. County 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.

The deadline for submission of completed applications is 4.00pm on Thursday, 18th of January 2024 in respect of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund, and the later date of 4.00 on Wednesday, 31st of January 2024 in respect of the Community Monuments Fund 2024. Applications can be made by emailing corkheritage@corkcoco.ie or a hard copy may be submitted to the Built Heritage Investment Scheme or Historic Structures Fund or Community Monuments Fund, Cork County Council, Heritage and Conservation Office, Floor 3, Planning Department, County Hall, Cork. For information and application forms, click on the button below.

More information and Application Forms

Maoiniú ar Fáil chun Oidhreacht Chontae Chorcaí a Chosaint

Tá Comhairle Contae Chorcaí ag tabhairt cuireadh d’úinéirí agus caomhnóirí iarratas a dhéanamh ar mhaoiniú chun struchtúir chosanta agus séadchomharthaí seandálaíochta i gContae Chorcaí a chosaint. Fógraíodh trí shruth maoinithe do 2024, lena n-áirítear Ciste na Séadchomharthaí Pobail, an Scéim Infheistíochta na hOidhreachta Tógtha agus Ciste na Struchtúr Stairiúil.

Faoi Scéim Infheistíochta na hOidhreachta Tógtha, is féidir le hiarratasóirí rathúla deontais suas le €15,000 a fháil le haghaidh oibreacha ar scála beag chun a gcuid maoine stairiúla a dheisiú agus a chaomhnú. Baineann na deontais seo le struchtúir chosanta agus réadmhaoin atá suite laistigh de Limistéir Chaomhantais Ailtireachta agus bronntar maoiniú ar raon maoine agus tionscadail éagsúla gach bliain. Thacaigh scéim 2023 le 17 dtionscadal éagsúla, ó shéipéil agus tithe ceann tuí go tithe móra, tithe baile agus áitribh mhiondíola.

Díreoidh Ciste na Struchtúr Stairiúil ar thionscadail chaomhantais a sheachadann buntáiste mór don phobal agus féadfaidh iarratasóirí rathúla suas le €200,000 a fháil dá dtionscadal. Cuireann an scéim maoiniú ar fáil chomh maith le haghaidh struchtúir dhúchasacha agus le haghaidh aghaidheanna siopaí stairiúla.

Cumasóidh Ciste na Séadchomharthaí Pobail oibreacha caomhantais a dhéanamh ar shéadchomharthaí seandálaíochta a meastar a bheith suntasach agus a bhfuil gá le tacaíocht dóibh. Tá sé mar aidhm aige athléimneacht a thógáil i séadchomharthaí le cur ar a gcumas éifeachtaí an athraithe aeráide a sheasamh, rochtain ar shéadchomharthaí a spreagadh agus a gcuma a fheabhsú. Tá trí shruth maoinithe ag an Scéim, agus tairgeann siad go léir suas le 100% de na costais incháilithe. Mar shampla, i gCiste na Séadchomharthaí Pobail, atá ag feidhmiú go bliantúil ó bunaíodh é in 2020, rinneadh infheistíocht de bhreis is Naoi gCéad Míle Euro (€911K) do 17 suíomh seandálaíochta éagsúla i gContae Chorcaí.

Dúirt Méara Chontae Chorcaí, an Comhairleoir Frank O’Flynn,

Tá an oidhreacht thart orainn go léir, sainíonn ár n-oidhreacht sinn mar phobal. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach an tslí a mheasaimid, a chosnaímid, agus conas a chuirimid ár n-oidhreacht chun cinn. Molaim do dhaoine leas a bhaint as na scéimeanna seo chun na seanfhoirgnimh ina bhfuilimid ag obair nó ina gcónaímid a chosaint, chomh maith leis na mílte séadchomhartha seandálaíochta mórthimpeall orainn, ag meabhrú dúinn go raibh agus go bhfuil an contae seo ina baile do na milliúin daoine thar na mílte bliain. Ní mór don ghlúin seo agus do gach glúin inár ndiaidh gach rud is féidir linn a dhéanamh chun a chinntiú go mbeidh an oidhreacht thógtha agus seandálaíochta a bhfuil meas uirthi sa lá atá inniu ann, fós ann le taitneamh a bhaint astu sna blianta amach romhainn.

Dúirt Príomhfheidhmeannach Chomhairle Contae Chorcaí, Valerie O’Sullivan,

Tá Contae Chorcaí sáite in oidhreacht thógtha agus seandálaíochta le beagnach 3,000 struchtúr cosanta, breis agus 50 Limistéar Caomhantais Ailtireachta agus gar do 20,000 séadchomhartha seandálaíochta taifeadta. Chuaigh gach ceann de na trí scéim seo chun sochair oidhreacht an chontae go mór le blianta beaga anuas agus ar an leibhéal náisiúnta, tá breis is €16 milliún imfhálaithe thar na trí scéim do 2024. Tá cáil ar Chontae Chorcaí as a oidhreacht thógtha agus seandálaíochta, agus le scéimeanna den sórt seo is féidir a chinntiú go bhfuil tacaíocht leanúnach á tabhairt don ghné seo d’oidhreacht an chontae.

Is é an spriocdháta d'iarratais chomhlánaithe ná 4.00pm Déardaoin, 18 Eanáir, 2024 maidir leis an Scéim Infheistíochta na hOidhreachta Tógtha agus Ciste na Struchtúr Stairiúil, agus do Chiste na Séadchomharthaí Pobail tá spriocdháta níos déanaí de 4.00 Dé Céadaoin, 31 Eanáir 2024 ann. Is féidir iarratais a dhéanamh trí ríomhphost a sheoladh chuig corkheritage@corkcoco.ie nó is féidir cóip chrua a chur isteach chuig Scéim Infheistíochta na hOidhreachta Tógtha nó Ciste na Struchtúr Stairiúil nó Ciste na Séadchomharthaí Pobail, Comhairle Contae Chorcaí, Oifig Oidhreachta agus Caomhnaithe, Urlár 3, An Rannóg Pleanála , Halla an Chontae, Corcaigh. Le haghaidh faisnéise agus foirmeacha iarratais, tabhair cuairt anseo.