Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The previous scheme was announced in 2017. The seven flagship projects in that scheme all got grants between €300,000 and €1 million. The rest of the funding was then scattered across 55 schemes. Is the Minister considering the same scale of funding for a new scheme? How ambitious will any new scheme be? What is the total funding available for the scheme? It is three years since a fire caused the closure of the Briery Gap cultural centre in Macroom. An ambitious plan is being put in place for a €4 million redevelopment.

The county council, with fewer resources than the Minister's Department, has allocated €1 million to the project already. There is also insurance funding available. The Minister's Department has provided some moneys, about 6% of the overall cost. When we consider the size of the project and the type of schemes previously in place, the scale does not match up. Will there be an ambitious scheme that will meet the needs of projects such as Macroom and many other facilities throughout the country? The project in Macroom seeks to establish not just a cultural centre for the local area but one that will serve a wider regional and national audience.

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