Grant to preserve Sligo jail windows
A grant of €9,000 has been allocated to Sligo Jail to preserve its windows. The group set up to campaign for the former jail's restoration, The Friends of Sligo Gaol say they are delighted with the grant.
The group, who applied for funding under the Heritage Management Grant Scheme 2016, were recently notified by CEO Michael Starrett that their application had been successful.
Mr Starrett said the Heritage Council appreciated the effort FOSG had put into developing their project and that the Heritage Council has agreed to offer the sum of €9,000 towards it.
FOSG were very fortunate to receive the funding, as while the Heritage Council had received 377 applications for funding, due to limited resources it is only in a position to support less than half of these projects.
Cllr Seamus Kilgannon, Chair of Sligo Heritage Forum welcomed the announcement saying: "Sligo Heritage Forum congratulates the Friends of Sligo Gaol on securing funding from the Heritage Council to undertake conservation works at Sligo Gaol, it is a great achievement."
He added:"One of the key themes of the new Sligo Heritage Plan is to promote community participation in heritage projects and this is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when we work in partnership to care for Sligo's heritage."
Chairperson of Friends of Sligo Gaol Tamlyn McHugh said the funding would be an enormous boost towards the group's efforts in weatherproofing the jail.
"The funding will allow us to conserve 11 of the original timber windows on the top floor of the three storey cell block of Sligo Gaol.
"This is wonderful news for the ongoing conservation of the building and will mean that this area of the jail will be fully weatherproof, and so protecting and preserving it for the future."
The prison has about 240 windows, of which 40 have already been restored by local man Nick Taylor conservation joiner with Heritage Sash and Joinery.
He is a member of the Craft Council of Ireland. The project has been ongoing over the past three years.
The windows are being conserved to their original specification without modernisation. Restoration of the top floor windows will be complete by the end of the year.
Friends of Sligo Gaol are a non-profit community group of volunteers with a keen interest in Sligo Gaol and its place in the history and heritage of County Sligo.
The aim of the group is to provide community support for the conservation of Sligo Gaol and to promote greater understanding and public awareness of its history and heritage.
It also aims to work towards the eventual opening of the Gaol to the public.