Today I announced the recipients of our 2024 Community Monuments Fund - providing vital conservation funding of €7.4 million to 140 projects across Ireland.
I created the Community Monuments Fund in 2020 with an investment of €1 million to enable communities, local authorities and custodians of our built and archeological heritage to identify and protect heritage sites and monuments that are important to them. By the end of 2024, €26 million will have been invested in 618 heritage projects across the country.
Our shared built heritage is woven into the fabric of our lives, our culture and our communities - from our iconic landmarks and tourist attractions to historic local churches and graveyards, castles, wells, round towers, ancient town and city walls, and so much more that our communities know and love. The Community Monuments Fund helps ensure the preservation of the built heritage that matters to us - the local landmarks that connect us to our past and tell the story of the places we call home.
Under my watch, the level of funding for our built heritage has been unprecedented. We've also increased funding for two other schemes, the Historic Structures Fund and the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, from €4.3 million in 2020 to a total of €9 million this year. Across our three key schemes in 2024, this government announced €16.4 million of financial support to ensure that everything from our traditional shopfronts to our thatched cottages and castles can be preserved and maintained for future generations.
On top of preserving our history, investment in our built and archeological heritage is also an investment in local economies. They provide valuable work for local skilled tradesmen and women and help to keep our traditional crafts and skills alive. That's why the work we’re doing to protect our heritage is so important and transformative for local communities and the built heritage funding we’ve announced this year will ensure Ireland’s unique and diverse archaeological heritage continues to enrich all of our lives.