Over €250,000 has been awarded to the Poet’s Cottage Community Café in Camross under the European Union’s Just Transition Fund.
The grant will enable the Camross Heritage group to develop the building into a community café on the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains.
The cottage is named after Patrick Ryan, a poet who lived in Camross between 1750 and 1825 who wrote about the natural beauty and the people of this community and is currently a tourist attraction that represents Irish rural life from the 1800’s.
This grant, which will transform the cottage is just one of 15 other projects in the Midlands, sharing a fund of €3.8 million under the fund.
The Just Transition Fund was created in 2021 to “support the regions and communities in Europe that are most negatively affected by the transition to climate neutrality, ensuring that no one is left behind.”
It supports amenities that are negatively impacted by transitions to green energy and rural communities that fall victim to urbanisation.
Ireland is set to receive up to €84.5 million from the EU Just Transition Fund over the period to 2027.
Local TD Charlie Flanagan has welcomed this wonderful resource for Camross with open arms.
He said: “I welcome confirmation that €256,403 has been awarded to the Poet’s Cottage Community Café.
“I’m delighted for Camross community which over the years whether in community engagement or on the hurling field continues to show exemplary community spirit & local team endeavour
Minister of State Sean Fleming who has just confirmed he will be contesting his seventh general election echoed the sentiments of his fellow TD.
He said: “Poet’s Cottage is a beautiful amenity in Camross and this project will bring added attraction to the local area and for the local community.
“I want to thank the local community group – Camross Heritage Ltd – and all involved for their work over a long period of time on this local amenity project.”
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