22 February 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Funding will support the repair and restoration of older buildings with complex needs
- €8.1m in grant funding allocated for conservation and protection of architectural heritage throughout the country under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2025
- Over €220,000 awarded to 14 projects in Cork City
- Over €440,000 awarded to 18 projects in Cork County
- Over 650 projects to receive support nationwide
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage, and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, has today announced the list of over 650 projects to be awarded funding under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) 2025, with €665,719 going to 32 projects throughout Cork.
The scheme supports property owners to conserve and enhance our historic buildings and streetscapes, and at the same time preserve and develop traditional building skills. This year’s grants will be used to repair, restore, and protect historic structures from modest traditional homes to landmark public buildings.
Examples of projects being funded include:
- €24,000 for Kinsale Yacht Club
- €36,000 for St Patrick’s Cathedral, Skibbereen
- €31,000 for Patsy’s Corner, Market Square, Kinsale
- €44,000 for Ma Murphy’s Bar
- €43,000 for Macroom Castle Gate Lodge
- €41,000 for the Sirius Arts Centre
- €30,000 for St Laurence’s Cheshire Home, Lower Glanmire Road
- €30,000 for the YMCA Building, 11-12 Marlborough Street, Cork City Centre
KYC is among one of the beneficiaries of the funding
In addition to the funding provided under BHIS, owners and custodians will themselves commit an estimated €29.5m to these projects from private sources, marking this as a very significant investment in our built heritage and the traditional building skills which support it.
€1.25m of the €8.1m in total funding will be allocated to thatched buildings. This consists of €600,000 from the dedicated Historic Thatched Buildings stream, and an additional €650,000 awarded from the main stream of the BHIS. A total of €42,753 in thatch funding will be awarded to 4 projects in Cork.
Welcoming the news, Minister O’Sullivan said,
“In keeping with the commitment outlined in our newly ratified Programme for Government to cherish and protect our heritage as a vital national asset, I am pleased to announce today the projects which will receive funding under this year’s Built Heritage Investment Scheme.
“Ireland’s built heritage is a national asset which enriches our countryside, villages, towns, and cities. In maintaining and caring for our historic buildings, owners and custodians perform a valuable public service, and I am delighted to be able to support their efforts.
“Alongside related initiatives such as the Historic Structures Fund, Community Monuments Fund, and the THRIVE scheme, this vital funding will help to ensure the survival of Ireland’s shared architectural inheritance for future generations.”
Subject to funding, both the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Thatched Buildings Scheme will be open to new applications July 2025 for projects for completion next year.