Six community groups in County Roscommon are among 105 groups nationally to have received grants under the 2016 Local Diaspora Engagement Fund.
The Local Diaspora Engagement Fund is designed to promote diaspora engagement at a county, local and community level – in line with the objectives of Global Irish: Ireland’s Diaspora Policy published by Government in March 2015. The funding in 2016 will support the development of strong diaspora links within the community through a diverse range of projects including genealogy projects, networking and media initiatives as well as literary and cultural events involving the diaspora.
Those themes are evident in the variety of Roscommon groups which have received funding:
Roscommon Chamber of Commerce and Ros FM have both received the largest sums – €10,000 each.
The Kilteevan Graveyard Committee has been granted €3,500.
The Ballintubber Tidy Towns & Heritage Committee will receive €2,000.
Boyle Arts Festival is set to receive €1,500.
And the Killynagh More Graveyard Committee has been granted €500.
Local Senator Maura Hopkins has welcomed the announcement, adding “There is a rich cultural pride in our community and our diaspora links are very strong. I am delighted that these groups have been awarded funding in order to allow them to further build on these links.’
“I look forward to visiting the groups and seeing the realisation of this investment. I encourage all locals to support the work being done by our hard-working community groups.”
The full list of groups to receive funding can be viewed here