Rural Development Programme 2007 - 2013
Targets for the Islands Rural Devlopment programme include sustaining island populations, stimulating economic activity and promoting language, culture and heritage.
A key objective of the programme is to support islanders to adapt to the changing economic realities and facilitate the retention of island communities through supporting economic activity.
Funding is available for projects under the following measures:
- Diversification into Non-Agricultural Activities
- Business Creation and Development
- Encouragement of Tourism Activities
- Basic Services for the Economy and Rural Population
- Village Renewal and Development
- Conservation and Upgrading of the Rural Heritage
- Training and Information
- Implementing Co-operation Projects
All Measures with the exception of Training and Information may be complemented by the availability of Analysis and Development grant aid support.
Should you have a project you would be interested in progressing with, you should contact one of our Projects Officers who will be more than happy to discuss the idea with you and go through the application process with you.
Leader grants approved to date by Comhar na nOileán:
Diversification into Non-Agricultural Activities
Micheál Ó Flatharta
Received €6,868.28 for his Craft Shop & Farm Café. This funding was for the purchase of the necessary equipment required for the fitting out of the Coffee Shop element of the project.
Business Creation and Development
Pat Quinn-Inis Oírr
Pat received €580 in grant aid to record 10 original songs on a CD and publish 1,000 copies for sale to the tourism market.
Jim Cox, Clare Island
This promoter received €22,500 to carry out a Feasibility Study into the development of a large tourism enterprise on Clare Island
Lawrence Cove Ferries, Bere Island
Received a grant of €79,500 to install a crane to upgrade the lifting capacity of the vessel used for the boat hire business.
Gerard Sullivan- Bere Island Boat Yard
Grant aid of €3,490.00 was paid to Gerard Sullivan—Bere Island Boat Yard for the purchase and installation of waste solvent recovery unit. The repairs and maintenance of boats results in large quantities of waste paints solvents etc., which need to be disposed of in a safe manner. At present, the waste is stored in non-leak drums and transferred to the mainland approximately 4 times per year where a company takes it away for safe processing. By using this machine on Bere Island, the company will be able to process the paints themselves. After processing, only 5% of the waste will be transported as the end processed product can be used as thinners for new paint. More importantly, the carbon footprint and the risk of an accident occurring while transporting waste material will be greatly reduced.
Sean Harrington, Bere Island
Seán Harrington received grant aid of €14,050.00 for the installation of a crane on a tug boat.
Majella Mc Mullan, Arannmore
Majella McMullan received funding of €4,987.50 for a feasibility study for the setting up of a Holistic Therapy Centre on Arranmore – Teach an Chiúnais.
Eoghan Póil, Inis Oírr
Received €3,081.82 for Guided Walking Tour of Inis Oírr, and to develop a website and marketing for the walking tours.
Bríd Ní Chualáin, Inis Oírr
Received grant aid of €2,658.95 for Cleasaíocht- Gaeilge le Spraoi, and to develop a website and marketing for her activity based Irish classes.
LorraineMcClean, Inishbofin
Received graint aid of €3,477.64 for Crafts and Pottery Business and training on Inishbofin.
Encouragement of Tourism Activities
Comharchumann Chléire Teo
The Co-op received €1,974 in grant aid for running a practical training workshop on organisation of Walking Talking Tours.
Ruairí & Marie-Therese de Blacam, Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites
This project received grant aid of €22,920 to upgrade and refurbish the suites as part of a long term plan to develop the business.
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór
Grant aid of €1,799.99 was paid to erect a granite stone with the name of the island on it at the pier, and to publish a map and booklet detailing place names and places of interest on the island.
Comharchumann Thoraí Teo, Oileán Thoraí
The Co-op received grant aid of €3,666.00 to publish a tourism information booklet.
MurrayGrant, Inishbofin
Murray Grant received grant aid of €1,025.00 for an all inclusive adventure day trip from Westport to Inishbofin. The promoter used the grant aid to part fund the mini-bus graphics, signage, production of 20,000 Brochures and the design of a Website.
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór received funding of €2,700.00 for a promotional video showcasing Arranmore Island. The video will focus on the holiday village and all the amenities it has to offer. Local activities which are available including fresh water fishing, sea angling, boat trips, island hopping, scuba diving, swimming, bird watching, hill walking, marked walks, pitch and putt course, children’s playground will all be featured in the video along with all the beautiful scenery and local attractions including the lighthouse, lakes, beaches, beaver island memorial and many more. Coláiste Árainn Mhóir which runs every year during the summer months will be featured in order to promote the Irish Language.
Comhar Caomhán Teo, Inis Oírr
Comhar Caomhán Teo received payment of €19,840.31 to upgrade the public toilets in the camp site and to provide disabled access. The project is to install sun panels, a condenser burner, fire alarm, new windows, doors and toilets.
Seomraí Só Inis Meáin
Seomraí Só Inis Meáin received grant aid of €10,938.57. The grant aid was sought to put the recommendations of the Michelin advisor in place which were reducing the noise of the extractor fan and replacing it with a more suitable system, replacing some of the dining accompaniments and a range of additional equipment and services to improve the delivery of services to the customers. The emphasis must be on high quality, design and style in keeping with the standards in their competitor’s services. To compete in the high end they must bring high quality right through to the smallest area of the operation. To achieve this they required good quality bikes, picnic bags, binoculars. They are also putting systems in place to deliver room service to each suite. To cut the time involved of guests waiting for their suites to be ready they purchased a high speed washer/dryer.
Tim O’Leary, Whiddy Island
Grant aid of €1,170.75 was paid to Tim O’Leary, who runs the registered ferry to and from Whiddy Island. He set up a bicycle hire business starting with eight bicycles. He also printed out a very simple map of the Island that promotes areas of special interest.
Cleas Teo, Inis Oírr
Grant aid of €1,012.95 was paid to Cleas Teo for technical support of a 10K adventure Shore Race and Road race on Inis Oírr.
Kathleen Barnes, Clare Island
Kathleen Barnes from Clare Island received €485.08 to facilitate the printing of some new art works on to printed cards to be distributed to tourist offices in Achill and Westport.
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhóir
Received €15,493.69 for the development & upgrading of a kitchen in the Cultúrlann. Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór Teo operates a cultural centre and a tourism information centre. It is a focal point for visitors to the Island and of the services provided included are; Language services support, Irish courses, Meeting facilities, IT Centre, Tourist Information Service, Arts & Crafts Shop & gallery, Internet access, Historical exhibitions, Café for light snacks.
Visitors to the Island who visit the centre, either to access information, attend the exhibitions or use the other services often require light snacks. The kitchen facilities at the centre were in need of a complete upgrade to cater for this identified need. This funding helped to upgrade the kitchen.
Comharchumann Thoraí Teo
The Co-op received grant aid of €3,750.00 to produce a promotional video of Tory Island.
Inisbbofin Development Company
Grant aid of €352.83 received forthe production and design costs of 3 roll up display units that will assist in the promotion and marketing of Inishbofin Island.
Basic Services for the Economy and Rural Population
Inishturk Community Club
The club was given grants of € 20,160 to assist in the refurbishment of the community premises.
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhóir
The Co-op received grant aid of €6,773.70 to equip one of the rooms in the cultural centre with office equipment and to provide sewing machines to enable them to run adult education courses in the centre.
Comhar Caomhán Teo, Inis Oírr
A grant of €17,808.75 was paid to Comhar Caomhán toupgrade and modernise its fuel delivery, storage and distribution service to the Island of Inis Oírr.
Comhar Caomhán Teo, Inis Oírr
Grant aid of €10,161.86 was paid to this group to carry out renovation work on the Community Hall.
Comhar na nOileán received €26,626.05 to carry out a feasibility study into provision of Video Conferencing facilities on the islands.
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór
The co-op received grant aid of €1,236.57 to purchase and install an automatic external defibrillator in the ambulance on the island.
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann, Inis Mór
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann received grant aid of €1,792.50 for a website where islanders and others can access information on the wide range of work undertaken by the Comharchumann, as well as information on the island in general.
Comharchumann Chléire Teo
A grant of € 3,020.25 was paid to Comharchumann Chléire Teo for the refit of fuel and diesel pump. The work included the supplying, installing and commissioning of a pump fuel management system and the connection to existing pumptronics twin pump, the fitting of new software to pump, load system software to office pc, programme user keys and train staff in the new system, and the plumbing work required. The system will be a credit/debit card user system and will not require staff to be present to deliver fuel. This will ensure efficiency and consistent provision and will allow the Comharchumann to monitor quantities.
Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr
Áras Éanna received €4,903.16 for the purchase of sound and recording equipment for the theatre and the café.
CFF Árainn Mhór
Received €18,898.99 to upgrade its Gym Equipment as the current equipment was domestic grade and was not designed for the level of use it received. This funding allowed for purchase of commercial grade equipment.
Bere Island Project Group
Grant aid of €1,674.33 was paid to BIPG for the provision of a defibrillator for the community.
SherkinIslandDevelopment Society
The group received grant aid of €7,126.00 for the publication of The West Cork Islands’ Strategy.
Village Renewal and Development
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann, Inis Mór
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann received grant aid of €172,618.80 for a playground, recreation park and sports amenity. The playground consists of an area suitable for children under six, another for children between six and twelve and an area for older children.
Comhar Caomhán Teo, Inis Oírr
Comhar Caomhán Teo received funding of €96,972.37, in phase payments, to develop a 5 a side All-Weather Astroturf pitch beside Inis Oírr football pitch. The development includes the pitch itself (the highest standard surface-FIFA two star Certificate), fence and 2 floodlights.
Beara Tourism Development Limited
Grant aid of €17,241.96 for the upgrade of Beara Walks on Dursey and Bere Island.
Conservation and Upgrading of the Rural Heritage
Bere Island Tourism & Enviornment Group
This group received grant aid of €6,944,75 to purchase a glass crusher and paper shreddar for the recycling plant on the island.
Inishbofin Development Company
Grant aid of €8,128.47 was paid to purchase equipment for film production.
Inishbofin Development Company
This group received funding of €1,901.25 to publish a collection of writings.
Mná Fiontracha—Inis Mór
The group received a grant of €3,031.24 to purchase equipment for setting up an archiveon the island to enable islanders and visitors alike to access material that has been collected over the years.
Comhar Caomhán/Mná le Chéile, Inis Oírr
Grant aid of €13,351.52 was paid to this group to assist with the purchase of a long-arm quilting machine.
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann, Inis Mór
The Co-op received grant aid of €3,238.12 to upgrade the ‘yellow men’ signs on island walkways.
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhóir
Grant aid of €1,200 was paid to assist in the purchase of panels to mount an exhibition on the history, flora and fauna of the island.
Comharchumann na nOileán Bheaga
The Co-op received grant aid of €2,467.50 to produce a booklet of information, with place names and the folklore of the Donegal small islands and to update and improve their website.
Comharchumann Chléire Teo
A grant of €5,707.50 was paid to Comharchumann Chléire Teo The to publish a book of photographs of Oileán Chléire together with selected writings from Chuck Kruger, reflecting on life on the island over the past 20 years. Over half of the book contains reflections from RTE’S Sunday Miscellany, of which over 60 pieces have been written.
The book is sold by the Co-op and all sales profits will be going to the community shop on the island. The book will consist of a visual tour of Cape and will dramatize the island in an unique and artistic way. According to the contributor “It’s not only a coffee-table book but a work of art both verbal and photographic and will bring the Island to life”.
Mná Fiontracha, Inis Mór
Received €1,367.54 for the purchase of new equipment for the folklore archive on Inis Mór. To add to the Aran Folklore Archive, Mná Fiontracha are undertaking the collection of place names on the Island, mapping the place names for a GPS system that is suitable for usage on Google Earth. They are undertaking the digital mapping of the cemeteries of the Island so that they can be accessed on Google Earth. They are also collating photographs, interviews and songs so that the tradition of the Island is collated and preserved for the community. To ensure the development of the archive, a number of pieces of equipment are essential: A scanner, Camera, Editor recording device and other pieces of equipment that can transfer tapes and videos to the computer, and a projector that can present the collection to the public.
Earagail Arts Festival Ltd
Grant aid of €16,277.06 was paid to Earagail Arts Festival Ltd to help them establish an audio visual archive relating to all available material regarding the offshore islands of Donegal. The promoters established an audio visual archive covering radio, television, print and film materials as well as community recordings of the offshore islands of Donegal. The material has only been available to now in disparate form with no central repository. This project provides a repository that will be available to island communities, educational and other interests as well as visitors. The material is available in interactive kiosks in libraries on the islands, relevant mainland points, council’s cultural services public outlets as well as museum, libraries and council archive office. The Council provided kiosks in the various locations, which will be used to provide a variety of information to visitors and locals alike.
Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr
Funding of €17,454.13 was paid to Áras Éanna for the development of cultural/heritage products and an analysis of the demand for same through an exhibition of traditional clothing of the Island and a summer show telling the story of the island through history and folklore, depicted through drama, music, song and dance.
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhóir
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór Teo received €8,750.90 for the purchase of a Ride-on Lawn Mower to service the public areas and amenities on the Island.
Dr. Deirdre Ní Chonghaile, Inis Mór
Received funding of €2,587.98 to purchase modern recording and broadcasting equipment for analysing, collecting, archiving, promoting, and broadcasting the History of Music and Song on the Aran Islands.
Training and Information
Áras Éanna—Inis Oírr
Áras Éanna received a grant of €9,175 to organise workshops in music on the island.
Mná Fiontracha—Inis Mór
The group previously received a grant of €3,031.24 to purchase equipment for setting up an archive under the conversation measure and also received grant of €2,510 to complete the necessary computer training for the archive.
Comhar Caomhán - Inis Oírr
The Co-op received €12,000 in grant aid to run a course in insulation for houses.
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann
The Co-op received grant aid of €7,200 to run a 360 Excavator training course.
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann – Inis Mór
The Co-op received grant aid of €7,500 to run a training course in first aid for islanders.
Murphy’s Ferry Services
Grant aid of €1,350 was paid to assist this company to provide training in Classification V for crews.
Comharchumann Forbartha & Fostaíochta Árainn Mhór
The group received grant aid of €1,360 to run a training course in preserving orchards.
Comharchumann Thoraí Teo
The Co-op received grant aid of €5,370 for the first stage of the Lámha Thoraí Arts & Crafts training workshops.
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann
The Co-op received a grant of €7,203.37 to equip an Information Technology training room for use in community training.
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann
The Co-op received grant aid of €8,390 to carry out part one of a Yachtmaster Training Course.
Bere Island Projects Group
The group received grant aid of €3,500 for training for FETAC Marine Engineering Processes and Safety at Sea.
Comhar Caomhán Teo, Inis Oírr
The group received grant aid of €3,600 to povide a course in occupational first-aid and participants were awarded FETAC level 5 certification.
Grúpa Turasóireacht Chliara, Clare Island
Grant aid of €1,350 was paid for a cookery course for people involved in the tourism industry.
Inishturk Community Council
This group received grant aid of €7,608 to carry out community training courses.
Clare Island Pony Breeders Group
A grant of €3,250 was paid to this group to carry out Farrier & Horsemanship Training.
Féile Soilse Thoraigh
The group was granted €2,333 to carry out music training workshops on the island.
Comharchumann na nOileán Bheaga
The Co-op received grant aid of €1,125.00 for a series of courses on the small Donegal Islands – photography, painting with oils and crafts. They received €2,467.50 to produce a booklet of information, with place names and the folklore of the Donegal small islands and to update and improve their website.
Comharchumann Thoraí Teo
A grant of €3,050.00 was paid to Comharchumann Thoraí Teo. This is the second part of the arts and crafts development project “Lámha Thoraí”. This included courses on patchwork doll and bag making and how to make handmade soaps using seaweed.
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann, Inis Mór
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann received grant aid €3,545 for a safety at sea basic training and radio course,
Comharchumann Forbartha Árann, Inis Mór
The Co-op received funding of €23,880.00 for a Yachtmaster motor offshore practical training and assessment course.
Inishturk Community Club Limited
Inishturk Community Club Limited received funding of €1,690.00 to run a cookery training course for the tourism operators on the island.
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór
Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór received €1,680.00 for cookery demonstration classes by Frank Moynihan for people working in the food industry which will promote tourism on the Island.
Comharchumann Thoraí
Comharchumann Thoraí received €1,760.00 for cookery demonstration classes by Frank Moynihan for people working in the food industry which will promote tourism on the Island. With the improvement of their cookery skills, participants will be able to provide menu’s of a high quality. The cookery classes will demonstrate how to best utilise local produce which will in turn promote local fishing and farming and provide employment.
Cleas Teo, Inis Oírr
Grant aid of €500.00 was paid to Cleas Teo for training for the administration of a 10K adventure Shore Race and Road race on Inis Oírr.
Comharchumann Forbartha & Fostaíochta Árainn Mhór
The group received grant aid of €11,865.00 to run a Yachtmaster Offshore training course.
Inishbofin Development Company
The group received funding of €2,987.45 for a training Project to Include Courses in the following: Bogoak, Felting and Millinary Courses; Archaeological & Historical Guiding Course.
Implementing Co-operation Projects
Comhar na nOileán Teo
Comhar na nOileán Teo have received €38,318.76 in phase payments for their project on renewable energy and sustainable use of energy on the small islands. Three Danish and three Irish island energy groups are involved. The project involved an initial visit to Samsö, an island in Denmark which has achieved energy self sufficiency. In Ireland they visited Galway and Inis Oírr, and they attended a talk by Sustainable Energy Ireland on their renewable energy projects on the Aran Islands.