Farmers in Donegal are being offered grants for the conservation of traditional farm buildings in the county.
Grants of between €4,000 and €30,000 are available under the Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme administered by The Heritage Council.
Farmers interested in applying to this year’s scheme are encouraged to attend an online information briefing at 12 on Friday of this week.
Heritage Officer Joe Gallagher says traditional farm buildings lend character to Donegal’s rural landscape……….….
Before and after pic of restored barn in Ballymagan, Buncrana –
Release in full –
Funding is available to farmers for the conservation of County Donegal’s
traditional farm buildings under the Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme
administered by The Heritage Council in partnership with the Department of
Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The aim of the Traditional Farm Buildings
Grant Scheme is to ensure that traditional farm buildings and other related
structures that contribute to landscape character and are of heritage value are
conserved for agricultural use. Only on-line applications will be accepted and
the closing date for receipt of applications to the grant scheme is 5.p.m. on
Monday, May 18. Farmers interested in applying to this year’s scheme are
encouraged to attend the short information webinar at 12 noon on Friday, April
17. Further details and application forms are available on The Heritage
Council website at: http://www.heritagecouncil.ie and on (086) 025 9202.
“Our traditional farm buildings lend character to our rural landscape and
farmers play an important role in maintaining them and keeping them in use”
explained Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer. “The
Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme allows traditional farm buildings to
retain their relevance to agricultural activities, helps to maintain aspects of our
rural built heritage which are important to regional landscape character, and
conveys rural ways-of-life and local history to visitors and locals alike. The
scheme strongly encourages and supports farmers to carry out at least some
of the repairs themselves. It also provides a means of employment in rural
areas for local contractors and encourages local craftspeople to learn and
apply best conservation practice.”
The grant is available for the conservation of traditional farm buildings
including roofs, walls, structural repairs, windows and doors. Grants will also
be available for other related structures such as historic yard surfaces and
landscape features around the farmyard, walls and traditional farm gates. To
be eligible for the scheme, buildings and other related structures must have
architectural or vernacular heritage character, make a contribution to their
setting and not be overwhelmed by large-scale modern buildings.
The Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme is open to farmers who are (i)
active agri-environment scheme participants including the Agri-Climate Rural
Environment Scheme (ACRES) or (ii) approved participants of the Organic
Farming Scheme. The applicant must be the owner of the building/other
related structure for which funding is being sought or be acting with the
permission of the owner. The grant will cover up to 75% of the cost of the
works including the cost of supervision by a conservation consultant. The
minimum grant offered will be €4,000 and the maximum amount will be
€30,000. The Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme is highly competitive
and The Heritage Council estimates that about 40 projects will be supported
countrywide in 2026. The grant scheme won the European Heritage Award
in 2024 in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the preservation and
enhancement of Ireland’s agricultural vernacular heritage.
Further details and application forms are available from The Heritage Council
website at: www.heritagecouncil.ie and on (086) 025 9202. Advice to
applicants is also available from the County Donegal Heritage Office, Donegal
County Council.
Photos 1 & 2:
Barn at Middle Illies, Ballymagan, Inishowen before and after conservation
works supported by funding under the Heritage Council’s Traditional Farm
Buildings Grant Scheme.
