Funding boost for heritage projects in Limerick

SEVEN projects across Limerick will share nearly €70,000 which has been awarded under two special grant schemes run by The Heritage Council.

The fund is designed to boost a post-Covid recovery, grow tourism, and enhance community spirit by supporting local heritage projects. 

Under the Community Heritage Grant Scheme, €65,880 has been allocated to a number of community groups and not-for-profit organisations in Limerick. 

The Hunt Museum is to receive €15,000 to digitise the paper archives of the Hunt Collections & Sybil Connolly Collection to designated standards, making them accessible to a worldwide platform. 

Limerick Civic Trust has also been allocated €15,000 for the Frank McCourt Collection interactive exhibition while other recipients include: Open House Limerick (€8,000 for its walking tour of Limerick’s large suburban houses); Bat Rehabilitation Hospital Ireland (€1,200 to build a vital bat flight, to fund rabies vaccinations for two volunteers and purchase a new Bat detector for survey; A K Ilen Company Limited (€11,800 to fund Traditional Sailing Rig repairs on the Heritage vessel Ilen) and Ballingarry Development Association (€14,800 for conservation works at the McCarthy Mausoleum).

Meanwhile, A K Ilen Company has been allocated a further €4,000 under the Heritage Council’s Irish Walled Towns Network programme. The money has been approved for a project entitled ‘Kingship’ - a community educational exploration of Limerick’s English town.

Using street performance to promote Limerick's walled town, the plan is to make a walled town symbol through public participation. The walled town symbol (Mandala) will be made of coloured pebbles and will be a temporary display in a prominent location in the city.

Commenting on the allocations of funds, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan said: “I would like to acknowledge the fantastic work of the Heritage Council in supporting community heritage through this important scheme. As the scope and scale of these projects illustrate, communities play a vital role in caring for all aspects of our heritage. The new national heritage plan, Heritage Ireland 2030, which will be published later this summer, will recognise the role of communities in safeguarding our heritage and ensure that they continue to be supported.”

Chairman of The Heritage Council, Michael Parsons, said: “These schemes continue to provide a central focus for the work of The Heritage Council. They are testament to the close collaboration between the Council, local authorities and community groups, all sharing a common purpose.”