ALMOST €30,000 has been allocated to prepare conservation plans for three historic Clare church buildings from this year’s Community Monuments Fund.
Confirming the allocations, Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey said that the plans would identify measures for conservation of archaeological monuments and improving public access at Kilofin Church near Lasbasheeda; Templemaley Church outside Ennis and Kilchreest Church near Ballynacally.
€11,316 will go towards the preparation of a conservation report on Kilchreest Church and €9,102 to both Kilofin and Templemaley Churches.
“Once the reports are completed, the project promoters can apply for funding to implement a number of different measures aimed at enabling conservation works to be carried out,” Deputy Carey explained.
“These measures could include emergency conservation work, masonry repair and measures to enable the buildings withstand the effects of climate change. The provision of public access and interpretation signage, as well as social media projects highlighting the buildings’ archaeological heritage could also be included in the next phase of the project.
“The core objective is to support the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of local monuments and historic sites. This is particularly important in Clare which has a significant number of outstanding examples of built heritage and archaeologically important sites.
Above: Templemaley Church outside Ennis
