Offaly gets country's largest funding sum for town and village renewal

It was announced today (Wednesday) that Offaly County Council had secured €1.2m in grant funding for renewal projects in local towns and villages, which was the largest sum awarded to any county for 2022.

The funding will go towards a variety of projects in Birr, Kilcormac, Shinrone, Clara, Daingean and Moneygall.

These include the refurbishment of currently-vacant Fiesta Hall in Kilcormac which is to become a multi-purpose space that is low-carbon and energy efficient. The Fiesta Hall project was today awarded €500,000 from the Town and Village ​Renewal Scheme.

A sum of €250,000 was allocated towards the development of a plaza at Market Square in Birr, which is due to involve "an outdoor meeting and recreational space in the town centre that can facilitate outdoor dining and where pedestrian activity will be a priority".

A quarter of a million euro is also going towards the refurbishment and repurposing of the old Shinrone Library building, which has been vacant for 13 years and is due to be turned into "a modern multi-purpose community space​".

Clara is to receive €100,000 for a streetscape enhancement scheme, while €50,000 is going towards a design proposal for ​the redevelopment of Daingean town hall as a modern hub for community use.

Separately, funding was approved for the purchase by Offaly County Council of two derelict buildings under a Town and Village Renewal Building Acquisition Measure Scheme.

These buildings are the former Community Hall in Ballyboy, which is due to become a "multi-purpose community space," and a former business and garage in Moneygall which is to be a "multi-purpose community and enterprise hub".

Some €50,000 was allocated for a design team to work on advancing plans for the Moneygall facility.

Local representatives in the county have been welcoming today's funding announcement by Minister Heather Humphreys, with Offaly County Council Cathaoirleach, Cllr Frank Moran, saying it was "about helping communities to adapt" to ongoing challenges.

"It will help make our towns and villages attractive places to live, work and do business," Cllr Moran commented.

Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen also welcomed the "major package" of funding which he said would help to "breathe new life" into rural towns and villages across Offaly.

"This is all about tackling the scourge of vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages. It's about taking old buildings and giving them a new lease of life, and this funding will go some way to achieving that," said the TD.

The chief executive of Offaly County Council, Anna-Marie Delaney, said it was important for communities to engage with Offaly County Council in order to prepare future projects.

Further calls for expression of interest from communities will be advertised in 2023, and Offaly County Council said it would welcome applications, particularly from towns and villages that have a need for community space in a vacant or derelict property in their town or village centre.