Minister Heather Humphreys has announced a record €164m in funding for 30 regeneration projects in rural towns and villages, the largest allocation to date under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
These transformative projects aim to revitalise town centres, boost the rural economy, and attract people to live, work, and visit rural areas.
The focus of the funding is on combating vacancy and dereliction, and regenerating iconic town center buildings for new purposes.
Projects supported span across the country, including locations such as Edenderry, Ballyhaunis, Cresslough, Cahersiveen, and Enniscrone.
Examples of some of the successful projects include:
- Edenderry, Co Offaly (€12.2m): Redevelopment of a derelict site to provide a new Community Library and Arts Base and regenerate the centre of the town.
- Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo (€5.2m): Redevelopment of a derelict convent primary school building and grounds to provide a public library, enterprise hub and public park.
- Limerick Greenway Hubs Development Project, Co Limerick (€9.6m): Redevelopment of former stations houses along the Limerick Greenway route to create mini destinations, trailheads and service hubs.
- Cresslough, Co Donegal (€12.1m): Will create a new central hub that will be transformative for the community.
- Cahersiveen, Co Kerry (€6.4m): Regeneration of the town centre including the renovation of an historic building as a community facility and development of a waterfront amenity and boardwalk.
- Enniscrone, Co Sligo (€8.4m): Regeneration of key seafront areas including the redevelopment of the historic Cliff Bath House, upgrading of the Cliff Walk and redevelopment of a derelict building to provide a new community pavilion.
- Baile Bhúirne, Co Cork (€3.2m): Redevelopment of a former residential school to provide a Regional Development Centre – an enterprise development, training and research facility.
- Tuam, Co Galway (€3.6m): Redevelopment of the historic Tuam Town Hall as a multi-purpose community facility.
Heather Humphreys said “I have announced the largest allocation of funding since the RRDF was established. This is an unprecedented €164m in funding for 30 landmark projects in rural Ireland. This announcement has been made possible by the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, which is providing strategic capital funding for significant projects around the country. The funding announced today will revitalise towns and villages in line with the Town Centre First Policy, addressing vacancy and dereliction, stimulating rural economies and responding to community needs. The RRDF alone has now invested over €577m in funding for projects in rural Ireland. This is a truly transformative level of funding that will make a real and lasting difference in rural communities throughout Ireland.”
Details of the successful projects can be found here.
