The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has today (Saturday) warmly congratulated the Laragh Heritage Community Group for its successful restoration project at St Peter’s Tin Tabernacle, which the Minister is officially opening this evening.
Speaking today the Minister said: ‘I would like to offer my huge congratulations to the members of Laragh Heritage Group for their tireless work and commitment in restoring St Peter’s Tin Tabernacle. It is incredible what the group has achieved in just two years, and they should all be immensely proud of their efforts’.
“The finished product is a beautifully restored building that will be a great source of pride for the entire community in Laragh. I am pleased that my Department was in a position to provide more than €12,000 in funding for the project, under the Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme (BHJLS).
“The BHJS has been very successful, and was designed with labour-intensive, small-scale repair projects like St Peter’s in mind. A total of seven projects throughout Monaghan having benefited from the scheme; the €12,000 for St Peter’s was spent on conserving the church’s beautiful stained glass windows.
“I would like to pay particular tribute to the work of Shirley Clerkin, Heritage Officer in Monaghan County Council, who I know has provided dedicated support and advice throughout the restoration project. I have a huge amount of respect for the crucial role played by local Heritage Officers, who help to make projects such as this a reality right across the country.
“I am also pleased that architectural experts from my Department have been able to help out by provided advice to Laragh Heritage on its ambition to bring the former church back into community use.
“Cavan Monaghan LEADER is a major funder of the project, contributing €38,000 to the restoration. Indeed, St Peter’s is an excellent example of how LEADER funding can be successfully used for a heritage project.
“This project is the best possible example of how a sense of community spirit can deliver incredible results. I have no doubt that the Tin Tabernacle will provide many years of future enjoyment for the local community.”
ENDS
Note to Editors:
Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme (BHJLS) 2014:
A fund of €5million under the Government’s Stimulus Capital Programme, was made available by the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht for the Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme. €100,000 from this scheme is allocated for works to protected structures in County Monaghan in 2014 with €12,041 allocated to St. Peter’s Church.
This scheme seeks to leverage private capital for investment in a significant number of labour-intensive, small-scale repair and conservation projects across the country and to support the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craftspeople and tradespersons. It is aimed primarily at the private owners and occupiers of protected structures or monuments.