Ballyhoura Development welcome the opening of calls to the 2022 Community Monuments Fund. €5 million has been allocated to the fund for 2022 to help up to 160 custodians and owners of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future for the benefit of local communities and the visiting public. 

The core aims of the Community Monuments Fund are the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of archaeological monuments.

Funding is available for:

• Conservation works to monuments that are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support,
• Building resilience into monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change and
• Works to improve access to and presentation of, monuments.

The fund is available for three streams of work:

Stream 1 supports essential repairs and capital conservation works at archaeological monuments.

Stream 2 funds the development of Conservation Management Plans/Reports which will identify necessary conservation measures and any issues requiring future attention.

Stream 3 offers grants for the enhancement of access infrastructure and interpretation at archaeological monuments, including the development of online interpretative material.

Speaking at the launch Minister Noonan said:

“The Fund supports an extraordinary level of community engagement and public participation in heritage. It provides traditional skills opportunities and strengthens the role of heritage in communities across the country, highlighting this important role in providing a strong sense of place and well-being. We hope to support over 160 projects, which will provide a local economic boost with thousands of hours of employment for craft workers, conservation architects, surveyors and engineers, archaeologists and others, in sustainable job opportunities in the care of our heritage.”

Ballyhoura Development encourages local community and heritage groups to seek further information as to how local projects can be progressed. Applications for grants can be made by Local Authorities for works to archaeological monuments in public ownership, where a clear heritage focus and community or public benefit has been demonstrated and also projects proposed by Local Authorities on foot of applications from private applicants who are the owners or custodians of monuments. In addition, eligible applications with a strong community benefit may be sent directly to the Department from State-funded organisations working in the heritage area.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 1 March 2022.