Funding for historic shopfront in Leitrim

Well-known Leitrim historic shopfront, Armstrong's, Carrick on Shannon, has been awarded funding under the Historic Structures Fund 2022 to conserve notable historic structures. The site was awarded funding for diverse reasons including repair, replacement of loadbearing beams behind shopfront, restore existing signage and shopfront and, remedial works to render front façade.

A total of €4m was awarded nationwide through the Historic Structures Fund (HSF), administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in partnership with the 31 Local Authorities. The announcement follows that of €4m in funding under the Department’s other built heritage grant scheme, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, earlier this month.

In addition to supporting owners and custodians of historic and protected structures to safeguard and maintain their properties, this funding will also provide a welcome boost to conservation professionals and tradespeople, including in specialist heritage roles such as thatching and stone work. Following on from the successful introduction of the Historic Shopfront Stream last year, the HSF has again made funding available for a range of shopfronts including bars and pubs which operate in buildings of historical significance

Through grants of between €15,000 and €200,000, the HSF assists owners of heritage structures – including those on the local authorities’ Record of Protected Structures and those in Architectural Conservation Areas – to meet their obligations to care for their properties. The scheme provides assistance to a wide range of heritage structures – this year’s HSF includes awards to historic bridges, castles, churches, mills, libraries, shopfronts, and an old forge, as well as to private houses.