Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht,  has said that the budget marks the most significant policy intervention and investment in built heritage in recent years.

The Minister was speaking at the opening of a two day conference on The Forgotten State of Industry: Irish Industrial Landscapes and Heritage in Glendalough which was once, together with the nearby Glendasan valleys, the most important site for lead mining in Ireland.

Minister Deenihan commented:

"During the crisis, built heritage lost more than 90% of its budget. This allocation of €5 million from the National Lottery sale is an absolutely crucial investment in our heritage buildings. I want this scheme to leverage significant private investment to deliver a much-needed boost for heritage buildings, and for jobs in construction and skilled crafts.

"There are about 50,000 protected structures in Ireland. Thousands of people live in historic buildings.

"The Living City scheme is vitally important. Instead of pushing people and families out of our urban centres, far from where they might work or study, we have to encourage them to live in the heart of our cities. This is more sustainable in the long term, it's better for families and quality of life, and heritage buildings that are lived in and loved will benefit also."

The Glens of Lead is a community initiative working to improve the understanding and protection of Ireland’s most important historic lead mining centre in the Wicklow Mountains.  This event is made possible through funding from InterReg 4A (Ireland-Wales) “Metal Links” Forging Communities Together project and is supported by Wicklow County Council, The Heritage Council and the Gathering Ireland.

http://www.ahg.gov.ie/en/PressReleases/2013/October2013PressReleases/htmltext,17192,en.html