Press release
Our Rural Future: Minister Humphreys opens the Castleblayney Library Project
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys today (Friday 10 November) visited Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, to officially open the new Castleblayney Library which was funded through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF).
This is a transformative project for the town that has restored the derelict Hope Castle Gate Lodge to provide a state-of-the-art library, cultural and creative space for the community.
The landmark project received funding of €3.49 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF). An additional investment of €1.38 million was provided by Monaghan County Council.
The investment from the RRDF in the town is consistent with the Our Rural Future and Town Centre First objectives of attracting more people to live, work, invest in and enjoy rural towns.
Speaking at the opening today in Castleblayney, Minister Humphreys said:
“I am delighted to officially open the Castleblayney Library project. With the support of over €3.49 million from my department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund this project has brought an important heritage building in the town back to life to provide a modern new library, cultural and creative space. This new, accessible public space, will bring increased vibrancy and activity in the town centre and will have significant social and economic benefits for the wider region.”
Castleblayney has received a significant level of investment from the RRDF. In June of this year Minister Humphreys officially opened the Ridge Business, Enterprise and Technology Centre that was delivered with €3.4 million in RRDF funding.
The Minister continued:
“Today I am also announcing the opening of the Fifth call for Category 1 applications under the RRDF. These are significant capital projects which have planning in place and are 'shovel ready'.
"The funding call represents an unprecedented opportunity for rural areas and I am looking forward to receiving ambitious projects of scale. Castleblayney is a wonderful example of the potential of the RRDF to deliver landmark projects that can be game-changers for rural communities.”
Project proposals under the RRDF should directly deliver on the objectives of Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First Policy, in particular, those that help to revitalise our rural towns and villages, driving greater footfall and addressing vacancy and dereliction, as well as projects that will assist in attracting people back to live in rural areas and support economic development.
RRDF project proposals should be large in scale and highly ambitious in nature, with a minimum funding request of €500,000.
Applications to the Fund must be led by a State-funded body - Local Authorities, Local Development Companies, State agencies, commercial State bodies - but collaboration between parties, including with local communities, is strongly encouraged.
The closing date for the receipt of proposals is 12pm on 8 February 2024. More information on the RRDF is available.
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It offers a blueprint for a thriving and inclusive rural Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. In total the Fund has now provided over €409 million for 215 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €560 million.
In relation to projects in County Monaghan, the Fund has provided €24.2 million for 13 projects worth a total of €35 million.
The Town Centre First policy contains 33 unique actions which will give our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business. Town Regeneration Officers in all relevant Local Authority areas are being funded by DRCD to drive forward Town Centre First on a local level.
The policy also contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings. The actions also support the protection of our environment, as well as the heritage and culture of our towns.
The new strategy was developed by the Department of Rural and Community Development in partnership with the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and local authorities. It is a 5-year plan for the period 2023-27 which sets out the strategic context for further investment in library infrastructure, technology, programmes and services.