The old corn mill on Eric and Carola McKeever's dry stock farm outside Nobber in Co Meath was lying almost derelict for 20 years before it was given a new lease of life. "It was a sad sight to see it with the roof falling in because its such a beautiful building," says Carola McKeever of the 140-year-old stone mill which fell into disuse after the River Dee was lowered for drainage.
The McKeevers, who live in Julianstown House, an 18th century farmhouse, had an outbuilding that was crumbling and obsolete yet too picturesque to demolish. "I don't think we'd ever have knocked it down," says Carola McKeever, "I imagine we'd have done something with it but without assistance it would have been very difficult financially."
A breakthrough came three years ago in the form of a meeting in Navan about Leader II grants. The Navan meeting was to prove fateful for the McKeevers because it was there they realised the potential for converting the mill into tourist accommodation with the help of a grant.
The McKeevers decided to take the plunge into the tourism sector but Carola admits it proved to be a "huge undertaking". With four children between the ages of four and 13 and a farm to run, it was a major disruption. "Especially for Eric, who was trying to farm while all this was going on, but life continues and you just get on with it and do extra work and we had a lot of help and practical advice from family members."
Most of the mill's roof had to be dismantled and the inside gutted to lay down piping. Getting planning permission wasn't plain sailing either.
To qualify for the Leader grant, a comprehensive business plan had to be submitted along with architect's drawings, proof of planning permission and an estimate of how much the project will cost so that the grant could be calculated. "The whole thing cost £200,000 which to us is a lot but was made easier with the 30 per cent grant." McKeever's Mill holiday homes, which contains four separate units, opened at the end of February this year.
"The pine wardrobes and furniture blend in with the beams and the woodland outside; We had to follow Leader guidelines but I suppose we could have spent a bit less on the decor but then we mightn't have got four star approval from Bord Failte."
The McKeevers formed a marketing group with three other couples who had also converted redundant buildings into modern luxury accommodation. This was another foray into the unknown and Carola attended a marketing course. They received Leader assistance to produce brochures and postcards and paid An Post to deliver door to door mailings, which was also part of a drive to banish the perception of Meath as a tourism black spot. A week at McKeever's mill costs £350 at peak season and £250 off season. A weekend costs £150. So far, they have attracted mainly local people and those who have family and friends visiting and need somewhere to accommodate them.
Valerie Keogh of Tibradden Farm, Rathfarnham, remembers that there were a a lot of "doubting Thomases" when she and her husband, Chris, decided to convert farm out buildings into tourist accommodation and a conference centre. "People told us we were daft. They didn't think people would come to the Dublin mountains on holidays when they can stay in Dublin city."
The Keoghs were to prove them wrong. Where once stood an mid-19th century stable and a cow shed is now an apartment that sleeps four people and a multi-purpose room which will serve as a conference centre and function room when it opens in early June. Two slate-roofed cottages, sleeping eight people each, stand on the site of an old cottage that was demolished in 1968.
But it has been a long and arduous road since Valerie and her husband were forced in the early 1990s to assess the viability of their 200-acre sheep farm, which has been in the Keogh family for two hundred years.
"We had to rent land to make the farm viable because a lot of our 200 acres is not of great quality but in the early 1990s when all the land we'd rented was being sold for development, we had to look for an alternative enterprise."
In 1993, Valerie attended a local Leader I meeting, held during the first phase of Leader grants from 1991 to 1994. With a background in property management, she quickly saw Tibradden's potential as a holiday destination .
Not everyone was convinced. One bank manager echoed the concerns of others that the Dublin mountains would not attract tourists.
The Keoghs applied for a grant under the Leader II initiative but found it very tough to get approval. After a nine-month wait, they finally got the green light from Leader, which they found useful when looking for finance.
The hard work was only beginning, however, and with seven small children under the age of 12, it wasn't easy. The old granite sheds had to be damp-proofed and part of the walls rebuilt and a new roof put on when building the apartment and the conference centre.
Tibradden farm opened its doors to tourists in July, 1998, five years after Valerie attended her first Leader meeting. The accommodation, which features exposed beams, flag floors and wood-burning stoves, is wheelchair and child-friendly. The Keoghs got four-star approval from Bord Failte and are listed in several tourism guides, including Hidden Ireland.
It costs £250-£550 to stay at Tibradden Farm for a week, depending on the season.
