Highly emblematic of the rural Irish landscape and our deep agricultural heritage, conserving our traditional farm buildings is so important.

The Heritage Council’s Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme supports the vital conservation and repair of our traditional farm buildings and related structures.

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Managed by the Heritage Council, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the scheme’s main objective is to ensure that traditional farm buildings and other related structures that contribute to the character of the landscape and are of significant heritage value are conserved for active agricultural use.

Conservation, not restoration

As the key conservation principle of minimum intervention applies - carrying out a repair to fix what’s wrong, but not setting out to do too much work - the grant is available for the conservation of traditional farm outbuildings, including roof, walls, structural repairs, windows and doors.

This grant is also available for the conservation of other related farm structures, including historic yard surfaces, walls, gate pillars and gates.

Applicants should take note that works that are considered by the Heritage Council to be restoration works are very unlikely to be supported with grant support.

Who can apply?

If you’d like funding to conserve your traditional farm building, the Heritage Council is here to help.

The Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme 2023 is open to:

  • Farmers approved in the Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS).
  • Participants in other Rural Development Programme (RDP) or CAP Strategic Plan-funded schemes, such as agri-environment schemes, eco schemes, EIPs and organic farming schemes.

    • The available 2023 grant supports will vary between €4,000 and €30,000. A grant award will not amount to more than 75% of the cost of the works.

    Apply by 24 April 2023.

    Although the process is highly competitive, it’s expected that 70 to 80 projects will be supported this year.

    The Heritage Council is available to support applicants in any way it can.

    A very straight-forward process, applications must be made online through the Heritage Council’s online grants management system, located here.

    For more information and full application guidelines, featuring specific examples of projects and applicants eligible for funding, please see here.

    The closing date for applications is 24 April 2023.

    Best of luck to all applicants!