The Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Mr Malcolm Noonan has announced that €29,520 will be allocated to archaeological heritage projects in Clare under his Department’s 2022 Community Monuments Fund.
The three Clare projects are Kilofin Church, south west of Labasheeda, which will receive €9,102; Templemaley Church, Ballyalla, which will also receive €9,102; and finally Kilchreest Chuch, Carrowkilla, which will get €11,316.
The core objective of the Community Monuments Fund is to support the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of local monuments and historic sites.
It contains a number of different measures aimed at enabling conservation works to be carried out on archaeological monuments which are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support, encouraging access to archaeological monuments and improving their presentation and also building resilience in archaeological monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change.
Minister Noonan said “I am delighted to announce the Community Monuments Fund awards for 2022. The increased funding we are announcing today of €6 million to 128 projects will help protect our wonderful archaeological heritage and make it more accessible to the many who cherish it.
“These awards help us to deliver on various commitments under Heritage Ireland 2030, the new national heritage plan launched earlier this year. It will provide further supports for communities and custodians and the heritage sector, for archaeologists, conservation architects, stone masons, and other professional trades.
“These projects will also help build resilience against extreme weather and mitigate the impacts of climate change, a priority action embedded in our Climate Adaptation Plan.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.