€339,755 funding for 5 key heritage projects in Waterford.

€339,755 funding for 5 key heritage projects in Waterford.

339,755 euro for Waterford projects under the Historic Structures Fund

Waterford Green Party TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh has today welcomed €339,755 funding for 5 key heritage projects in Waterford. The funding announced today by Minister Malcolm Noonan has been allocated to Waterford City & County Council under the Historic Structures Fund which is administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It is part of Heritage Ireland 2030, the new national heritage plan which seeks to strengthen protection for our heritage in all its forms and provide support to those responsible for its care.

Today’s announcement sees Mount Congreve receive €155,272 for roof replacement and repair, Curraghmore House in Portlaw receive €50,000 for roof repairs and structural works, Mount Mellary Abbey receive €50,000 to address dry rot and water ingress, Spider Light on Passage East Spit receive €47,483 for essential remedial and stabilisation works and T&H Doolans receive €37,000 for shopfront conservation and repairs.

Welcoming the announcement, Deputy Ó Cathasaigh said:

This is great news for Waterford as some of our iconic heritage structures will benefit from the funding announced today by my Green Party colleague Minister Malcolm Noonan. I am particularly happy to see that Mount Congreve will receive €155,272 for necessary repairs – my grandfather, Jack Hayes, helped glaze the glasshouse there, and as a pupil in Butlerstown NS, we were given a tour of the grounds by Lord Ambrose many moons ago. Waterford City & County Council is leading the development works on this project which is currently undergoing extensive works to turn it into a world-class tourist destination. It is home to one of the largest private collections of plants in the world, it has been listed as one of ‘the great gardens of the world’ and it is due to open to visitors again this summer with a new visitor centre and cafe. When open, it will become a major tourist attraction in the South East”

Deputy Ó Cathasaigh continued:

Our built heritage is invaluable and it must be preserved and the funding announced today will allow the custodians of these great structures to carry out the conservation needed to help safeguard them for future generations. Protection of our built heritage is one of the priorities in Heritage Ireland 2030, the government strategy for the protection of Ireland’s heritage. The Historic Structures Fund will also provide employment to skilled specialists and tradespeople in the area, ensuring a continued focus on conservation work and protection of the traditional craft skills used to build these structures originally. I look forward to welcoming Minister Noonan to see some of these landmark Waterford projects when work is complete”