Anger at heritage funding change

MORE THAN 30 applicants are seeking a total of £40 million for heritage projects from an EU fund of £10 million, Bord Failte …

MORE THAN 30 applicants are seeking a total of £40 million for heritage projects from an EU fund of £10 million, Bord Failte said yesterday. "The amount being sought is way above the available funds", a board spokesman said.

The management board responsible for allocating the funds altered the terms of the funding from the original proposal of 75 per cent EU money to only 50 per cent. This has radically changed the economics of the heritage proposals.

Mr Hugh Byrne, a Wexford Fianna Fail TD, said yesterday that Bord Failte had "changed the goalposts" on funding a £3 million project in New Ross, Co Wexford, to mark the local roots of the American Kennedy family. Bord Failte's spokesman said the matter was not for it but for an independent board which was established by the former Minister for Tourism, Mr Charlie McCreevy.

The spokesman added that the board has written to a number of projects, including the proposed Kennedy centre, saying that it will consider restoring the 75 per cent grant aid provided certain conditions are met. "It is important to evaluate all the projects and not simply give money to the first person who manages to fill out a form", the spokesman said.

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Mr Byrne said the local community in New Ross was finding it very difficult to raise its part of the £3 million. "You don't raise that kind of money by selling raffle tickets", Mr Byrne said.

He said the former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, had agreed that money would be found in the Soldiers and Sailors Fund - financed by the British taxpayer - where links can be established between the maritime history of Britain and Ireland.

"Unfortunately, the agreement was only verbal", Mr Byrne added.