Over €88k in community heritage grants for Cork
THE Heritage Council has recently announced its Community Heritage Grant offers for 2017 and the County of Cork has fared very well. A total of €42,792 is to be made available for 10 projects within the county as well as a further €16,800 for inter-county projects, which include Cork. Cork City also fared well with an allocation of €28,900 for six projects.
Successful projects under the scheme in Cork County this year are wide ranging, covering many aspects of heritage. €5,000 has been allocated for ‘Destination Gougane Barra’ – a heritage app relating to the history and heritage of this iconic place. A further €4,500 was granted for the Ellen Hutchins Multimedia Heritage Trail and Festival in Bantry – Ellen Hutchins (1785-1815) having been Ireland’s first female botanist. In Inchigeela, €1,000 was awarded for an interpretative sign at the Holy Trinity Church and Graveyard and in Monkstown, an early Victorian internal decorative cornice will be repaired, thanks to a grant of €9,000. In Bere Island, €1,300 was awarded for an historical astronomy project as well as a further €5,000 for a very creative project on the island, which will match colour palettes with historical place names. Glounthane Tidy Towns will develop a website with a €4,000 grant, highlighting a wonderful 3-year project undertaken to eradicate Japanese Knotweed and Donnybrook House will see a rendering of the rear elevation with thanks to a grant of €9,000.
In the Duhallow area, thanks to IRD Duhallow, 27 community-led historic graveyard surveys will be completed. In Crosshaven an important Swift Conservation Project will get underway with a grant of €492 – the intention being to prevent any further decline of Swifts in the area, particularly important given that Swift populations have plummeted by nearly 50% in recent years. All in all, it is very positive to have seen a variety of successful grants in the County of Cork and every success to each project.
On the subject of grants, two further schemes have recently been announced. The first of these is the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund 2017. Under this scheme funding will be made available for projects that will help to increase awareness of environmental issues locally, and/ or help communities to become more sustainable. The Fund promotes sustainable development by assisting small scale, non-profit environmental projects at the local level, and projects that focus on environmental awareness and actions which complement national environmental policies, with past successful applications including community gardens and allotments, compost schemes, rainwater harvesting, biodiversity projects, waste reduction initiatives, educational initiatives and environmental exhibitions. For more information on the scheme email john.oregan@corkcoco.ie or visit www.dccae.gov.ie. Please note that the closing date for entries (same to be submitted to Cork County Council) is 5pm on Friday 23rd June 2017.
Another recent Grant Scheme announced by Cork County Council is the Community Facilities Scheme, which offers Community and Voluntary groups access to capital funding in order to kick-start, advance or complete their projects. The scheme seeks to address some of the difficulties local community groups face in terms of accessing small-scale levels of funding to match their own fundraising efforts. The 2017 scheme is funded by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and local Government with support from the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and the Municipal Districts of Cork County Council. The scheme will offer grants up to a maximum of €1,000 per project, with examples including Community Centre Equipment, Office Equipment / Meeting Furniture, Sports / Recreation Facilities and Relevant Tools, Machinery and Appliances. The closing date for applications is 5.00pm on Friday 30th June 2017 and for further information visit www.corkcoco.ie or email communitydevelopment@corkcoco.ie.
As we look ahead to upcoming events there are a few that will certainly be of interest from a heritage perspective. On Thursday 8th June, the Blarney and District Historical Society will visit Kilcrea Friary (meet at the Friary itself at 19:30). Guest Speaker, Ms. Denise Sheehan, will shed a light on the history of the Friary, touching on Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, who founded the Friary in 1465 and was also responsible for building the castles at Kilcrea, Blarney and Dripsey.
A few days later on Saturday 10th June, and also relating to ecclesial heritage, a wonderful morning seminar, from 09:20 to 13:00, will take place in the Boole IV Lecture Theatre, U.C.C., looking at the Capuchins and the Struggle for Independence in Ireland. Organised by U.C.C.’s School of History, the Capuchin Friary Rochestown and the Douglas-Rochestown Parish Assembly, the event will feature a number of expert speakers including Brian Kirby; Gabriel Doherty, Ruth Sheehy and John Borgonovo, looking a variety of interesting aspects with a focus on the Revolutionary Decade, including Catholic Theology and the Hunger Strike, 1917-1920; the illustrations of Richard King for the Capuchin Annual Publication and the Exile, Death and Repatriation of Fr. Dominic O’Connor. Academic proceedings close at 13:00 and at 15:00 a Holy Mass will take place in the Capuchin Friary, Rochestown. This event is free and all welcome.
Saturday 10th June will also see the launch of a historic map of Blarney Village. The map will highlight for locals and visitors alike, many of the interesting aspects relating to the history of this famous village such as ‘why was the Reverend running for his life’; ‘Why was a bomb set off in the Castle Hotel’, ‘Who was hanged in the Village Square’ and ‘what did Blarney do with its local thieves, drunks and hooligans back in the day’. The launch takes place at 13:45 in the Blarney Church of the Resurrection and all are welcome to attend. The Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Séamus McGrath will be present and the map will be launched by famous author Alice Taylor. It is a wonderful map and should be of interest to many, having been undertaken in conjunction with Cork County Council County Archaeologist Mary Sleeman, the Blarney-Macroom Municipal District and the Blarney and District Historical Society.
Next week’s column will take a look at many further events scheduled for the month of June.