Nine projects in Donegal have secured a total of €165,876 in funding under the Heritage Council’s 2025 Community Heritage Grant Scheme.
These grants will enable local communities to conserve and celebrate Ireland’s built, cultural, and natural heritage.
The funding recipients in Donegal are as follows:
- Inishowen Rivers Trust – €5,938
- Cairde na hEaragaile CLG – €19,730
- Clonleigh Parish Church (pictured above) – €25,000
- Coiste Forbartha Inis Bó Finne – €20,064
- Lands of Eogain – €18,650
- Raphoe Badminton Club – €3,659
- Kilbarron Castle & Church Conservation Group – €24,650
- St Mary’s Parish Committee, Ramelton – €18,960
- Parish of St Johnston – €9,225
The €24,650 in funding awarded to Kilbarron Castle & Church Conservation Group will support it in its work to conserve of the curtain wall at Kilbarron Castle. Overlooking the coast near Ballyshannon, Kilbarron Castle is a medieval site of national significance — the birthplace of Mícheál Ó Cléirigh and once home to a renowned bardic school founded by the O’Clery family, court historians to the O’Donnells. The project aims to stabilise the remaining stonework and protect the ruins of this important cultural landmark, which has been in a fragile condition for many years.
The €5,938 in funding awarded to Inishowen Rivers Trust will support its Green Guardians – Biodiversity Training initiative. This community-led programme offers workshops, field trips, and hands-on training to equip volunteers as “River Guardians,” empowering them to monitor, protect, and restore local rivers and waterbodies while promoting wider awareness of biodiversity throughout the region.
Several funded initiatives operate across Ireland including the second phase of the ‘Gardening for Bats’ project by Bat Conservation Ireland, which has been awarded €15,583, and a project on the oral histories of Irish show people by the Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network, which has been awarded €22,525.
In 2024, the scheme supported several key heritage projects across Donegal. The Kilcar Heritage Committee undertook conservation works at St. Matthew’s Church, helping to preserve this important place of worship and local heritage. The Kilbarron Church Conservation Group continued vital restoration efforts at Kilbarron Church, ensuring the survival of one of the county’s oldest ecclesiastical sites. Meanwhile, The Follies Trust carried out conservation work on Reynolds’ Folly near Ballyshannon, protecting a distinctive piece of Donegal’s architectural heritage.
Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher has welcomed the announcement and said he agrees that projects such as these reflect the wide range of initiatives supported by the scheme — from safeguarding historic structures to researching local heritage, restoring habitats, and building biodiversity expertise within communities.
All funded projects can begin work immediately and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
