Conservation works to the House on the Brae in Ramelton will receive part-funding under the Heritage Council’s Community Heritage Grants scheme.
THE Heritage Council has awarded €45,000 in funding to community groups around County Donegal in aid of six heritage initiatives.
The funding, announced under the government’s jobs stimulus package, is intended to provide much-needed support to the heritage sector.
Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer, said the Community Heritage Grants Scheme this year was aimed at supporting capital projects to improve access to heritage sites and applying good heritage practice to the management of natural, built and cultural heritage.
“Although the scheme is very competitive, Donegal-based heritage groups secured over eight per cent of the €540,000 in national funding available.”
The Heritage Council’s Community Heritage Grant Scheme is one of the few remaining dedicated sources of heritage funding.
Mr Gallagher said: “Due to cutbacks in the Heritage Council budget, it has not been in a position to offer this grant scheme for the past couple of years so the late announcement this year came as welcome news to many heritage groups.
“The fact that The Heritage Council received three times more applications than the funding that was available is testament to the active heritage sector in the country. There are over 250 heritage groups or community groups with a heritage remit in County Donegal alone.”
Under the Community Heritage Grants Scheme, The Heritage Council awarded funding for 3D mapping and an access and recreation survey of Inishtrahull Island to the Inishtrahull Bird Observatory (€14,900), the conservation of a quern-stone artefact/relic at Disert archaeological site to the Disert Heritage Group (€1,500), the preparation of an ecological survey of Loughadoon to Donegal GAP Heritage & History Group (€3,700), conservation works to the House on the Brae, Ramelton by the Ramelton Georgian Society (€15,000), geophysical and photogrammetry surveys of Malin Well Old Church heritage site by Malin Head Heritage Group (€5,000) and an inventory and condition survey of ‘The Laurels’ – Brian Friel’s mother home in Glenties to the Brian Friel Trust (€4,900).
The Heritage Council hopes to invite applications to the Community Heritage Grants Scheme at the start of next year for 2021.
If your group would like to start preparing an application to the grant scheme in 2021, advice is available from the County Donegal Heritage Office, Donegal County Council, on Tel 07491 72576 or by e-mail at heritage@donegalcoco.ie
The Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny is proudly funded by Donegal County Council and Arts Council Ireland.