Signs of the times

North Mayo shops urged to embrace tradition as part of Traditional Facades Grant Scheme

Ciara Galvin

SHOP owners in Ballina and the surrounding areas are being urged to return to traditional-looking shopfronts, according to Executive Architect with Mayo County Council, Kevin Keegan.
At the September meeting of the Ballina Municipal District, Mr Keegan discussed the Traditional Facades Grant Scheme, which allows shop owners to avail of a grant in order to undertake works to restore building exteriors to their original states.
Mr Keegan said that the first thing tourists see when they visit an area is its historic town, that the facades of buildings ‘make the town’. “The shop-front scheme in Ballina cleaned up a lot of the facades,” he said.
A paint scheme, part of the overall scheme has a grant of €300 to €700, depending on the size of the shop front. Mr Keegan told the meeting that the removal of inappropriate signage and advertising is part of the scheme, and he said that grants of up to €1,200 will be available to restore traditional shop fronts. He explained that the Georgian sash windows on shop fronts would also be reinstalled on some shopfronts as part of the scheme.
“They seem like small things, but if we move it forward it could make a huge difference. It is absolutely needed if we want to push north Mayo tourism,” said Keegan.
Director of Services Paul Benson told the meeting that it is often difficult to get people to sign up for grants, and he encouraged councillors to inform businesses about the grant.
Welcoming the initiative, Fine Gael councillor John O’Hara said a recent visit to Killarney opened his eyes in relation to traditional shop fronts.
“There’s something about it [a traditional shop front] – you will go back again. This could make north Mayo,” said O’Hara.
Fianna FΡil councillor Michael Smyth also backed the scheme and suggested that the Irish language also be incorporated into the traditional shopfront signs.
Mr Keegan told councillors that he and design staff would be on hand to aid shop owners in bringing ideas to fruition.