The Government is to make another £1 million available to a millennium award scheme, due to a huge response from community groups around the State.
The additional funding is to be approved by the National Millennium Committee at a meeting today. It is also expected to approve an extra £500,000 grant towards the development of a £14 million Irish centre in Manchester.
The Millennium Recognition Awards have attracted applications from 1,369 community, voluntary and cultural groups all over Ireland and have already received £2 million from the committee.
The committee chairman, Mr Seamus Brennan, Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, said the response to the awards scheme has far exceeded what had been anticipated. The highest number of applications has come from Dublin with 274, followed by Cork with 140.
Per capita of population, most applicants had been from Donegal with 102, and most of these were from community groups.
Under the initiative awards of up to £75,000 will be made. The company administering the awards, Area Development Management, has begun to assess the applications and a list of those who are successful will be published by mid-October.
Last night Mr Brennan said the National Millennium Committee had so far received requests for funding for more than 700 projects. When the cost of all these projects were calculated, the final figure would exceed £400 million.
"The number of applications we have received, both for funding as national projects and for the awards initiative, clearly demonstrates that there is enormous interest in every corner of Ireland in marking the millennium in a memorable and lasting way.
"It is encouraging that within each county there are dozens of proposals and suggestions for having permanent reminders of the millennium and its significance as a benchmark in civilisation," Mr Brennan said.
The committee has approved 22 national projects so far, involving an expenditure of £15 million. The committee has an overall budget of £30 million.