Lambay Castle and St Peter & Paul’s Church recipients of conservation funding

Funding of €90,000 has been made available to two conservation projects in Fingal – St Peter & Paul’s Church, Balbriggan, and Lambay Castle on Lambay Island.

The funding has been split between the two projects with St Peter & Paul’s Church receiving €40,000 while €50,000 will be going to Lambay Castle.

The funding has been assigned under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Historic Structures Fund.

 Minister Darragh O’Brien, who recently visited St. Peter & Paul’s Church, said the funding would go towards conservation and restoration works and would be pivotal to “protecting the beautiful collection of stained glass windows.”

 The Church of St. Peter & Paul’s Balbriggan is known for its stained glass windows by Harry Clarke Studios and is home to two original stained-glass windows, the Visitation and The Widow’s Son, designed and created by Clarke.

 “I’m delighted to see these two local projects supported by my Department’s Historic Structures Fund,” Minister O’Brien said.

“Both St. Peter & Paul’s Church and Lambay Castle are two fantastic offerings in North County Dublin and must be protected.

 “This fund assists owners of heritage structures – including those on the local authorities’ Record of Protected Structures and those in Architectural Conservation Areas – to meet their obligations to care for their properties.

“The scheme provides assistance to a wide range of heritage structures.

“Nationally this year’s fund includes awards to historic bridges, castles, churches, mills, libraries, shopfronts, and an old forge, as well as to private houses.

 “Schemes such as the Historic Structures Fund help to safeguard our rich built heritage, keeping many buildings in use and bringing many others back into use.

 “There is an additional and welcome knock-on economic benefit of generating employment for heritage contractors and other skilled crafts and tradespeople across the country,” he concluded.