'Not one single penny' for Mayo from funding scheme
Cllr Patsy O'Brien expressed his disappointment.
A Mayo councillor has expressed disappointment that the county did not receive any funds under the 2026 Historic Structures Fund, following the recent announcement by the Government of €4.42 million for the repair and protection of landmark buildings across the country.
Independent Cllr Patsy O’Brien told the April meeting of Mayo County Council that "not one single penny of this four million was allocated to Mayo".
"I don’t know what has happened with the Government representatives in this county that they can’t stand up. Mayo is steeped with historic buildings, and we talk about what we can do with them, yet when it comes to funding, we get none.
"I understand there were three applications from this county, and I want to know what they were and why they were refused. This is the second time. We also lost under the National Development Plan regarding the upgrade of national schools, not one of which was secured for 2026 or 2027.
"It is not good enough for this county or to have public representatives willing to accept this. Why are we not getting our fair dues at the national table?”
The only other comment on the matter came from Fianna Fáil Cllr Annie May Reape who told Cllr O’Brien: “Well, Ballina was included in Mayo as one of the eighteen historical towns under the Historic Towns Initiative, so our minister is listening. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Congratulating award recipients at the announcement of the fund on April 9th last, Minister of State for Heritage, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, commented: “This grant can make the difference between a cherished heritage building falling into disrepair or being restored and valued as part of a thriving streetscape. I know this funding will have a huge impact around the country.”
In Connacht, two Galway projects were awarded funding, namely Áras na nGael and Galway Arts Centre which received €170,000 for essential conservation repairs through an application by Galway City Council; and Athenry Arts and Heritage Centre, which was awarded over €90,000 for water mitigation works following a submission by Galway County Council.
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
