€159,000 to protect archaeological monuments in Mayo
FUNDING of €159,827.50 has been awarded to three projects in Mayo through the 2025 Community Monuments Fund to help owners and custodians of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future, Minister of State Alan Dillon has announced.
The three Mayo projects awarded funding this year are:
Ardnaree Augustinian Abbey - €100,000
Castleconnor - €30,000
Lough Lannagh Castle - €29,827.50
The Community Monuments Fund aims to conserve, maintain, protect and promote local monuments and historic sites. Funding is available to allow conservation works to be carried out on monuments that are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support.
The aim is to encourage access to monuments and improve their presentation and also to build their resilience to help them withstand the effects of climate change.
Grants are also available to enhance public access infrastructure and interpretation at archaeological monuments.
Said Minister Dillon: “I would like to thank Mayo County Council and especially Deirdre Cunningham, heritage officer, and her team for all their hard work and cooperation with the National Monuments Service in rolling out and administering the Community Monuments Fund. I would also like to acknowledge the private owners as custodians of much of our archaeological heritage and I am delighted that they are able to avail of this funding.
“This scheme helps to build robustness in our heritage against the extremes of weather, addressing key actions in our Climate Adaptation Plan as well as under Heritage Ireland 2030. These awards also deliver jobs for the heritage sector and traditional skills craftspeople, providing thousands of hours of employment every year.”
Councillor Ger Deere has been leading calls for the castle at Lough Lannagh in Castlebar to be cleaned up and realised as an important local attraction.
Ivy and shrubbery was cleared from around it in recent months.