FUNDING of €309,000 has been allocated to protect West Cork’s archaeological monuments through the Community Monuments Fund.

Abbeymahon Church and Graveyard, near Timoleague is to receive €130,000; Rathbarry Medieval Church will get €100,000; St. Multose Church, Kinsale receives €30,000; St. Mary’s Church and Graveyard, near Schull also gets €30,000; and Kilmonogue Church and Graveyard, near Belgooley has been allocated €19,341.

The investment in five West Cork heritage sites will help the owners and custodians of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future and improve access for communities, Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan TD said.

‘The CMF is a hugely impactful scheme that supports the custodianship of our shared heritage all across the country, from towers, graveyards and churches to castles, forts and other monuments,’ he said.

‘It promotes access and interpretation for locals, and improves the resilience of these irreplaceable structures to the impacts of climate change. It also helps to keep traditional skills like stonemasonry alive and creates benefits for key heritage sectors like archaeology and conservation architecture.’

A total of 104 projects nationwide are set to benefit from the scheme which has been in operation since 2020.

With an overall increase of almost €500,000 in grant funding available through the scheme this year, Minister O’Sullivan said he was delighted to be continuing the support for archaeological heritage with the increase of this year’s CMF to just over €8m, up from €7.5m in 2025.