Almost 30 towns to benefit from funding of €2.6million to revitalise town centres

Twenty six towns will receive €100,000 each to tackle dereliction and revitalise town centres. 

Minister for Rural Development, Heather Humphreys, announced the news today to make town centres more attractive places to live, work, socialise and run a business. 

Speaking on the news, she said, "Our rural towns and villages play a central role in the lives of people in rural areas. They are where we live, work, shop and socialise. It is important that we ensure our towns and villages remain vibrant, vital and relevant places." 

Longford Town in Longford, New Ross in Wexford, Clane in Kildare, Killala in Mayo, Strokestown in Roscommon, and Milford in Donegal are some of the areas which will benefit from the funding. 

Below is a full list of the beneficiaries: 

The minister continued: "Each town selected as part of this initiative will has its own strengths and each will face different challenges as it maps out its future path. No one size fits all policy will work. The Plans will be developed in tandem with Town Teams that are representative of the local towns and who can bring a wealth of knowledge and local expertise." 

The initiative is part of Our Rural Future, a five year strategy designed to reimagine and revitalise rural areas of the country. 

Each Local Authority will develop a plan collaboratively with local Town Teams involving community, business and public/private stakeholders.