The Heritage Council's grant package of almost €2.5 million will enable essential repairs to around 150 historic buildings but many other buildings remain at risk and in need of urgent resources, says Ms Mary Hanna, an architect with the Heritage Council. Edel Morgan reports.

Around 500 of the 1,400 properties placed on the Buildings at Risk Register since 1998 have received grants to repair roofs and external fabric.

"The grants are for essential external repair work only," says Ms Hanna. " We don't have the funds to give grants for interior work. For years there was no financial support, so there is a huge backlog of work to be done, such as roofs that are 100-150 years old and just need a good investment to keep them going for another hundred."

Grants provide up to half the cost of carrying out these works. To qualify for financial aid, a building has to be on the Buildings at Risk Register - closing date for applications to be included on the register is the end of March. Eligibility is assessed on two criteria; the significance of the building and how urgently repair is needed.

Not all of the buildings on the register are listed, some are vernacular or industrial, such as workhouses and thatched cottages.

Among the buildings that have benefited from the last round of Heritage Council grants are Borris House in Carlow, St Brendan's Cathedral in Clonfert, St Paul's Church in Cahir, Russborough House in Wicklow and Westport House in Mayo.

According to Ms Hanna, many people balk at the implications of owning a listed building and are not aware of the advantages.

"There is a huge misunderstanding. People think that, if you have a listed building, you can do nothing with it. But it is simply not true.There is a vacuum of information and a lot of incorrect information with nothing to counteract it. It is not as onerous as people perceive it to be."

The Heritage Council is a statutory body established under the Heritage Act (1995).