Close to quarter of a million euro is to be spent for restoration and renovation works on two Laois monuments.
The successful applicants are Clonreher Castle, Portlaoise, and Tankardstown Church, Barrowhouse.
€129,000 has been approved for works on Clonreher Castle, while €100,000 has been approved for Tankardstown Church.
The funds have been awarded under the Community Monuments Fund 2025 as part of an overall investment of €7.5 million to across 122 monuments nationwide.
The purpose of this fund is to “protect, conserve, repairs and maintain” local structures for the benefit of the general public now and into the future.
In particular, the investment aims to safeguard these monuments from the effects of extreme weather and climate change.
Laois Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming welcomed the news, saying: “It is important that these historic buildings, which are part of our heritage, are protected and ultimately improved so that people can visit and learn more about the significance that Clonreher Castle and Tankardstown Church played in their local communities over many years in the past.
“This generation must make a good effort to protect significant archaeological monuments in their local communities for future generations.
“I want to thank Laois County Council for the role they played in examining these historic structures and submitting them to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for funding for these conservation projects.”
Laois Fine Gael TD Willie Aird also welcomed the funding, thanking the owners and custodians of these archaeological monuments “for their dedication to the preservation of our Laois heritage.”
He encouraged them to avail of any funding supports that come on stream in the future “to ensure that our built heritage can continue to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.”
Funding of €15,000 has also been approved for Laois County Council for commemorative events to help honour local history.
Deputy Aird also welcomed this news, saying “We are a diverse, open-minded and modern community, but now more than ever it’s important to reflect on our history, things that happened locally that impacted on people, and are important to commemorate.
“Keeping memories of our shared history alive, is essential or they risk being lost forever. We must commemorate them, we owe it to our ancestors, and to future generations too.
“This funding now to develop and support community-led commemorative initiatives to mark the centenaries of locally significant historical events that took place here in 1924.”
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