In 2017, my Department provided funding of some €73,000 for nine projects in Co Louth under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme. A further two projects were funded under the Structures at Risk Fund to a value of €59,000. The funding related to churches, houses and thatched structures. The closing date for 2018 applications under both schemes has now passed and the assessment process is underway. The successful projects will be announced in due course.
A total of 22 National Monuments are in State care in Co. Louth, including St Laurence’s Gate. Data in relation to the numbers of heritage sites in the care of the local authority or otherwise are not held by my Department. Funding for the upkeep of National Monuments in State care is provided through the Office of Public Works (OPW) which maintains approximately 1,000 structures on 768 sites nationwide. I am advised by the OPW that the funding is not allotted on a county basis and the overall national outturn and allocation figures for 2017 and 2018, respectively, are set out in the following table.
|
€'000
2017 Outturn
|
€'000
2018 Provision
|
National Monuments
(Includes maintenance personnel pay, works and materials costs, utilities, etc.)
|
15,932
|
15,487
|
Visitor Services
(Includes costs of presentation, guide staff pay, advertising, website, etc.)
|
9,583
|
9,308
|
St. Laurence's Gate is a National Monument in the guardianship of the State and as such it is maintained and managed by OPW; it is owned by Louth County Council. Funding for the upkeep of the monument is provided through the relevant allocations set out in the table. My Department has been advised by OPW that, while it is generally satisfied from a conservation point of view that the monument is in reasonable order, there are some structural issues that need to be addressed. Though they do not represent an imminent threat, OPW state that the issues must be dealt with before any long term decisions are made about the future use of the Gate. The necessary corrective works will be undertaken as resources allow. In the meantime, OPW personnel monitor the structure on a regular basis and routine maintenance needs are dealt with as they arise.
St. Laurence’s Gate is a particularly striking structure and a significant local landmark, being a remnant of the former town walls and dating from the 13th century. I am aware that there is significant interest in having it opened to the public. Before the local authority closed the arch to vehicular traffic, visitors could only be admitted on an occasional basis or for special events when OPW provided personnel to supervise access to and within the monument in order to comply with health and safety requirements. However, I understand that OPW also intends to carry out a detailed assessment of the interior of the monument to establish the areas that can be accessed safely and to plot those parts of the structure where regular visitor access may be facilitated in future.