Almost €56,000 for local heritage and tourism projects

Funding of €55,596 has been allocated to projects across Cavan to protect and promote the region's heritage and tourism.

The Cavan County Museum will receive €13,950 to develop an interactive interface in the museum. It's hoped this will greatly improve the visitor experience.

The interface will showcase many of the county’s cultural heritage highlights as sites for tourism and education.

The Cootehill Town Team is to get €20,000 to go towards ongoing work to conserve the Coote family vault in the Church Street Graveyard.

Meanwhile, Killeshandra's Tidy Towns Heritage Group will spend their €18,000 grant on urgent work on a mausoleum at the Rath Church and graveyard.

Work on these projects can begin immediately which will see hundreds of local communities enriched through initiatives, from the conservation of medieval town defence walls in our walled towns, to the digitisation of otherwise vulnerable materials, to supporting endangered wildlife to thrive in their natural habitats. The projects will all be completed by the end of the year.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD, said: “I would like to warmly welcome today’s announcement by the Heritage Council. Funding of this nature is crucial in giving heritage volunteers and professionals the support they need to safeguard the built, cultural and natural heritage in our country. It is also a significant investment in this Government’s commitments under the Programme for Government to promote and protect our heritage.”

Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD, said: “It gives me great pleasure today as Minister of State for Heritage, to congratulate the hundreds of grant recipients whose important projects will benefit from these Heritage Council schemes. Looking at the details of these projects, I feel assured that our country’s heritage, in all its forms, is in safe hands and I am very much looking forward to seeing the results of the hard work done by our partners in the heritage sector.”

Chairperson of The Heritage Council, Martina Moloney, said: “The range of projects funded mirrors the variety of our heritage and the commitment of the grass roots groups who do such important work in caring for our heritage.”

Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive of The Heritage Council, said: “Individually, these projects will enrich local communities, preserving their history, safeguarding their local habitats. Collectively, they tell the story of a country where dedicated heritage professionals and volunteers understand the value of preservation, restoration and conservation.”