Cork County Council Announces Commemorations and Heritage Grant Schemes 2023

Cork County Council has announced the opening of the County Cork Commemorations Grant Scheme and the County Cork Heritage Grant Scheme for 2023. These schemes seek to recognise the heritage of the county, the numerous groups who actively engage with their local heritage, and those dedicated to commemorating the centenary of the War of Independence and Civil War.

Cork County Council’s Heritage Grant Scheme was established in 2021 with support from the Heritage Council. Under last year’s scheme, over 30 groups received funding for a range of initiatives including Heritage Week projects, video documentaries, conservation plans, exhibitions, archives, natural heritage projects and heritage publications. The scheme is designed to acknowledge and support Cork County’s many heritage groups in undertaking activities that in turn support the objectives of the County Cork Heritage Plan.

The Commemorations Grant Scheme, delivered by Cork County Council and supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, is aimed at highlighting the pivotal role of Cork County in the Anglo-Irish War of Independence and ensuing Civil War. This year marks the centenary of such notable events as the killing of Corkman Liam Lynch on April 10th 1923, head of anti-Treaty Forces; a number of Civil War ambushes; the end of the Civil War on May 24th 1923 and the Hunger Strikes of October and November 1923. The scheme will support those who wish to ensure the appropriate commemoration of significant local events through a range of projects, from school projects and the restoration of important local memorials to documentaries and touring exhibitions.

Welcoming the opening of applications for the 2023 schemes, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Danny Collins said: ‘The Commemorations Grant Scheme and Heritage Grant Scheme are not just an investment in our past, but a vital investment in our future. By preserving and protecting our heritage, we are creating a legacy that will enrich the lives of future generations and ensure that the stories of our ancestors are not forgotten’.

Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey noted ‘Cork County is renowned for its heritage, built, natural and cultural, and these schemes will support a significant number of initiatives in these fields.  In the past 2 years alone, these schemes have seen an investment of over €200,000 in heritage and commemorative projects by over 100 local groups and organisations. I have no doubt that the 2023 schemes will deliver another raft of excellent projects’.  

The closing date for proposals and application forms is 17:00 on Tuesday 18th April 2023. Applications can be made online, emailed to commemorations@corkcoco.ie or corkheritage@corkcoco.ie or delivered to ‘County Cork Commemorations Grant Scheme 2023/County Cork Heritage Grant Scheme 2023’, Cork County Council, Floor 3, County Hall, Cork.