Lack of support by politicians for local community based heritage projects in 2019

It would appear that there will be no Heritage Council community grants in 2019 (https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/news/news-features/working-with-communiti...).

This isn't good enough as local communities throughout Ireland now have no specific heritage funding source. Faic, mar a deirfá!

Leader funding is realistically only for larger projects, not the 2-5k projects that most community groups engage in. Every €1 invested by the Heritage Council generates €4.40 in tourism revenue¹. The Heritage Council have well thought out strategies for Irish heritage and community support but they're obviously not getting the right support themselves.

What to do?

1. Email Minister Josepha Madigan (josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie) and your local TDs (see email list below) and politely explain how the absence of a community heritage grant in 2019 is a blow to your local heritage group and projects. Request that funding be made available this year.

2. Contact your local councillors (start here for a list of county councils https://www.housing.gov.ie/local-government/administration/local-authori...) and explain that due to the absence of the Heritage Council grants this year that ye are now looking to them for funding for local heritage projects. Request a meeting in early February to seek funding. There are good people out there who I am sure can be creative and help us fund projects now that the Heritage Council grants have been hit for 2019.

3. Contribute to the Heritage Ireland 2030 Consultation document (https://www.chg.gov.ie/heritage/heritageireland2030/). 

• Read and download the document here https://www.chg.gov.ie/app/uploads/2018/11/heritageireland2030_updated_e....
• Email your contribution to heritageireland2030@chg.gov.ie
• Answer the online survey here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LBLJHDT
• Post a contribution to Custom House, Dublin 1, D01 W6XO
• Attend one of 7 county workshops.

We all spend so much time roaming the countryside and researching our heritage but now we need to take the time to contact our national and local politicians and say they need to up their game. We need better support for Irish heritage groups. We need better support for the Heritage Council. We need long term funding for community based heritage projects.

References

Find your local TD's contact details https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/

List of TDs  email addresses- current 2016 and hopefully still current today.

gerry.adams@oireachtas.ie, bobby.aylward@oireachtas.ie, maria.bailey@oireachtas.ie, sean.barrett@oireachtas.ie,mick.barry@oireachtas.ie, richard.boydbarrett@oireachtas.ie, john.brassil@oireachtas.ie,declan.breathnach@oireachtas.ie, pat.breen@oireachtas.ie, colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie,james.browne@oireachtas.ie, richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie, pat.buckley@oireachtas.ie, peter.burke@oireachtas.ie, joan.burton@oireachtas.ie, mary.butler@oireachtas.ie, catherine.byrne@oireachtas.ie,
thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie, jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie, dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie, sean.canney@oireachtas.ie, ciaran.cannon@oireachtas.ie, joe.carey@oireachtas.ie, pat.casey@oireachtas.ie, shane.cassells@oireachtas.ie, lisa.chambers@oireachtas.ie, jack.chambers@outlook.com, michael.collins@oireachtas.ie, niall.collins@oireachtas.ie, joan.collins@oireachtas.ie, catherine.connolly@oireachtas.ie, ruth.coppinger@oireachtas.ie, marcella.corcorankennedy@oireachtas.ie, simon.coveney@oireachtas.ie, barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie, michael.creed@oireachtas.ie

sean.crowe@oireachtas.ie, david.cullinane@oireachtas.ie, john.curran@oireachtas.ie, clare.daly@oireachtas.ie, jim.daly@oireachtas.ie, michael.darcy@oireachtas.ie, john.deasy@oireachtas.ie, pat.deering@oireachtas.ie, pearse.doherty@oireachtas.ie, regina.doherty@oireachtas.ie, stephen.donnelly@oireachtas.ie, paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, timmy.dooley@oireachtas.ie,andrew.doyle@oireachtas.ie, bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie, dessie.ellis@oireachtas.ie, damien.english@oireachtas.ie, alan.farrell@oireachtas.ie, frances.fitzgerald@oireachtas.ie, michael.fitzmaurice@oireachtas.ie, peterm.fitzpatrick@oireachtas.ie, charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie, sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie, kathleen.funchion@oireachtas.ie, patthecope.gallagher@oireachtas.ie, noel.grealish@oireachtas.ie, brendan.griffin@oireachtas.ie, john.halligan@oireachtas.ie, simon.harris@oireachtas.ie, michael.harty@oireachtas.ie, sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie, seamus.healy@oireachtas.ie, danny.healy-rae@oireachtas.ie, michael.healy-rae@oireachtas.ie, martin.heydon@oireachtas.ie, brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie, heather.humphreys@oireachtas.ie, paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie, billy.kelleher@oireachtas.ie, alan.kelly@oireachtas.ie, enda.kenny@oireachtas.ie, martinkennysf@gmail.com, gino.kenny@oireachtas.ie

sean.kyne@oireachtas.ie, john.lahart@oireachtas.ie, james.lawless@oireachtas.ie, michael.lowry@oireachtas.ie, marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie, josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie, catherine.martin@oireachtas.ie, micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie, charlie.mcconalogue@oireachtas.ie, marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie, helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie, michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie,finian.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie, john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie, joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie,
tony.mcloughlin@oireachtas.ie, denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie, mary.mitchelloconnor@oireachtas.ie, kevin.moran@oireachtas.ie, aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie, michael.moynihan@oireachtas.ie, imelda.munster@oireachtas.ie, eugene.murphy@oireachtas.ie, paul.murphy@oireachtas.ie, eoghan.murphy@oireachtas.ie, dara.murphy@oireachtas.ie, catherine.murphy@oireachtas.ie, margaret.murphyomahony@oireachtas.ie, Denis.Naughten@oireachtas.ie, hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie, tom.neville@oireachtas.ie, carol.nolan@oireachtas.ie, michael.noonan@oireachtas.ie, eoin.obroin@oireachtas.ie, caoimhghin.ocaolain@oireachtas.ie, eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie, sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie, donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie, aengus.osnodaigh@oireachtas.ie, darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie, jonathan.obrien@oireachtas.ie, jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie

https://www.donegalcoco.ie/media/donegalcountyc/heritage/pdfs/TheHeritag...