Funding announced for historical buildings in Carlow

Carlow projects are to receive funding of over €55,000 for conservation and restoration works on historical building in the county under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS), it has been announced. 

Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD announced on Thursday morning that 556 heritage projects across every county in the country will benefit from a total of €4.5m under this year’s Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS). A total of €57,822 has been awarded to projects in Carlow, while €194,040 has been awarded to projects in Kilkenny.

Funding, detailed below, will go towards costs of works at Newtown House, Lorum Old Rectory in Bagenalstown, Borris House and Currane Tower. 

Speaking on Thursday morning, Minister Noonan said: “For as long as I can remember, and certainly going back to when I first became a councillor in Kilkenny, Built Heritage has always been one of my top priorities. Now, as Minister for Heritage, I oversee two key built heritage funding schemes that are designed to help the owners of heritage structures to preserve and maintain their structure, and in turn to support the skills and crafts needed to do this.

“It’s an undertaking that I know requires significant time, care, expertise and investment, and my Department is recognising this with significantly increased investment in 2023. Across both funding schemes, for built heritage and historic structures, we're supporting this work to the tune of €9 million this year – an increase of 12.5% on 2022.

“Ireland’s towns and villages were built around a uniquely Irish vernacular; a style and an approach to craft and design that gave our places their charm and character, and supported the traditional craftsmanship needed to maintain it. We’re in danger of letting that vernacular slip away, and that’s why it’s vitally important that, as a government, we support people to protect our built heritage; to choose repair or restore over redesign or replace; and to keep traditional crafts alive.

 “It's so important that owners and custodians of historic and protected structures are supported to carry out the necessary works to maintain them, and to do it in a way that honours our past and safeguards these structures for the benefit of future generations.

“In doing so, these schemes also deliver thousands of hours of professional craft skills, many of which are based in rural communities. I feel very strongly that there is scope to develop more traditional skills training, and I'm encouraged by the uptake in apprenticeships in this regard,” Minister Noonan said.