Farm buildings, part of our heritage, now eligible for grants

HERITAGE GRANTS:THOUSANDS of traditional farm buildings, some centuries old, are now eligible for grant support for conservation under the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) scheme.

The Heritage Council has said that the historical significance of these buildings is in danger of being lost. It is appointing a project manager to oversee the Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme, the first of its type in the State.

An annual fund of €1 million has been allocated by the Department of Agriculture for the seven-year scheme.

The farm heritage has few champions even though traditional outbuildings could be among the oldest structures in some districts, says the council.

"The physical infrastructure of traditional farming methods are the cultural expression of 'the ordinary people' and should be valued for that very reason, alongside the grander buildings designed for the wealthy land-owning class," it states.

Colm Murray, the Heritage Council's architecture officer, said the impact of agriculture on biodiversity was reflected in its impact on traditional farm buildings.

The scheme is aimed at getting farmers interested in putting a cultural value on buildings which may otherwise be neglected or demolished. He said slate-roofed and stone-walled buildings made a contribution to the landscape although the number of them, some of which have been built generations ago, is unknown.

"There are 130,000 farms in the country, according to the Department of Agriculture, and they want half of that number to be in REPS. You could take it as a kind of benchmark that that is the order of magnitude of numbers we are talking about. It is not our intention to go out and survey them at this time." Murray added that while the cultural significance of galvanised barns, first introduced in the country in the early 1900s, was also recognised, they would not come under the grants scheme. "Their numbers can only be guessed at, but Department of Agriculture statistics suggest a total of between 50,000 and 100,000," he said.

The new Heritage Council project manager's role will be to ensure conservation standards are achieved in the scheme, which will be promoted at trade shows and ploughing championships. Clare County Council's conservation officer, Risteard Ua CrÃ"inín., said there was a significant gap in awareness when it came to agricultural heritage, despite its contribution to socio-economic development.

"Most farm buildings constructed prior to 1940 are stone structures and feature a slate, thatch or galvanised roof. Therefore, most of the buildings being targeted by the scheme are between 60 and 400 years old."

The scheme covers 75 per cent of the proposed refurbishment work and grant awards will vary between €5,000 and €25,000.

Historic yard surfaces, walls, gate pillars and gates, and millraces will also be considered as part of an application. Buildings must be in use by farmers in their day-to-day work.