STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Ballintubber Abbey is one of the projects receiving funding
Two projects in Mayo have secured a combined funding of over €11 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF).
The successful projects for County Mayo are Ballyhaunis Community Vision project and Ballintubber Abbey Culture and Heritage Visitor Centre project.
The funding was confirmed today by Minister of State and Mayo Fine Gael TD, Alan Dillon.
Minister Alan Dillon announced that the Ballintubber Abbey Culture and Heritage Visitor Centre project has been allocated €5,842,678 and Ballyhaunis Community Vision project has been allocated €5,285,070.
Minister Dillon said he is ‘delighted’ to see the projects receiving ‘this level of backing’ as they are ‘not just about physical transformation, they are about revitalising community spirit and local pride’.
The Ballyhaunis Community Vision project will adapt a derelict convent primary school building, and its grounds to provide a public library, enterprise hub and a public park with pedestrian links to the main business and retail core of the town.
The project, for Ballintubber Abbey, aims to transform the derelict ruins of the 800-year-old East Wing of the Abbey into a state-of-the-art three-story Culture and Heritage Visitor Centre.
Minister Dillon said: “This exciting development will serve to educate, engage, and inspire visitors, showcasing the remarkable historical, cultural, and spiritual legacy of Ballintubber Abbey, often referred to as the ‘abbey that refused to die’.
Ballyglass-based Fine Gael councillor Cyril Burke also welcomed the funding, referring to it as ‘absolutely magnificent news’.
“I’d like to congratulate the team on the abbey Trust and the council team who submitted the application led by Joanne Grehan and David O’Malley who put a lot of time into it,” added the local election candidate.
Minister Dillon continued: “Working closely with Mayo County Council, Minister Humphreys and organisations like the Ballintubber Abbey Trust and Ballyhaunis Chamber, we have been able to secure this significant funding. This is a testament to the power of community-led initiative and the impact they can have on rural regeneration and development.
“As a Minister for Mayo, I am committed to ensuring that projects that are promised for County Mayo, are delivered for County Mayo. I look forward to seeing these two projects in all their glory when the works are completed,” he concluded.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
