Two more local groupings have been awarded funding under the Community Monuments allocations.
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, and Carlow Kilkenny Green TD Malcolm Noonan, has today announced that St Lachtain’s Church in Freshford will get €29,428 to help upgrade the renewable heating system and develop interpretative information on the heritage of the village.
While built heritage within the old brewery site in Kilkenny city also receives €30,000.
Minister Noonan says ‘I’m delighted that St Lachtain’s church has been successful in this year’s round of funding; it is a truly wonderful exemplar of a community-led heritage asset and museum and exactly what this funding stream is made for”.
He adds “I have been deeply impressed with the level of care and conservation of this fine church and graveyard; its 12th-century Romanesque doorway and the development of the museum. The community in Freshford have been at the forefront of the heritage-led regeneration of the village; one of the finest heritage villages in Ireland”.
Minister Noonan established the Community Monuments Fund under the July Stimulus Package in 2020 and has increased the fund from €1.4m to €4.2m supporting 139 projects, thousands of hours of traditional skills and enhancing resilience in the state’s heritage assets.
Of the allocation for the brewery site in Kilkenny City, Minister Noonan says “Ministers O Brien, Burke and I recognise the immense contribution of communities in conserving and caring for our built heritage. The Community Monuments Fund administered by the National Monuments Service in our department gives due recognition by encouraging access to monuments, enabling conservation and building resilience to withstand the effects of climate change. I congratulate all recipients of this year’s funding and look forward to visiting some of the projects over the summer”.
