Some 18 coastal community projects across County Cork from Baltimore to Fountainstown will benefit from €241,100 in funding this year. The grants are co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union under Ireland’s European Maritime & Fisheries Fund Operational Programme for the seafood sector.
Tanaiste Simon Coveney T.D. said, “The FLAGs initiative is proving a fantastic success and the grants awarded to our local coastal projects to date in 2018 will be a hugely important boost to our coastal communities here in Cork.
Bantry Inshore Search & Rescue Association received almost €40,000 in funding, while Clean Coasts Ballinamona and Passage West Maritime Museum received approximately €15,000 each, and ZT Fish, O’Driscolls Fish and Eire Bass also receiving significant funding.
Funkytown (Fountainstown), Castletownbere Rowing Club, Courtmacsherry Rowing Club, Baltimore Seafood Festival, Schull Regatta, Ellen Hutchins Festival and Cobh Summer Swing will also benefit from the grant aid.
More than 100 (106) grants worth €1.5 million have been awarded by our 7 coastal FLAG groups, bringing total FLAG grant offers in 2018 to €3.1 million.
“Successful projects included investments in micro seafood enterprises, marine tourism and marine leisure projects, heritage projects, small harbour facilities, and environmental and training projects.”
Details on the FLAG scheme and on how to apply can be found at www.bim.ie/schemes/<http://
| Applicant | Project | Total Cost | Grant Aid |
| Funkytown Adventure Centre | The Secret South | 5,630.00 | 2,815.00 |
| Ellen Hutchins | Educational Coastal Videos | 4,610.00 | 3,688.00 |
| Ellen Hutchins Festival | Learning to Love Lichens and Explore the Shore (botany audit / survey / leaflet | 2,500.00 | 2,000.00 |
| Passage West Maritime Museum | Redevopment of Museum | 18,555.80 | 14,844.64 |
| O’Driscolls Fish | Expandsion of business | 24,900.00 | 19,920.00 |
| Bantry Inshore Search & Rescue Association | Refurbishment of lifeboat slip | 49,458.50 | 39,567.00 |
| Oceans of Discovery | Scuba Diving Promotions Corks Underwater World | 3,092.83 | 1,546.42 |
| Schull Regatta Community Limited | Schull Regatta | 2,500.00 | 2,000.00 |
| Clean Coasts Ballinamona | Clean Coasts | 19,923.42 | 15,938.74 |
| Roaringwater Marine | Equipment | 4,037.01 | 2,018.50 |
| Baltimore 2000 | Baltimore Seafood Festival | 2,500.00 | 2,000.00 |
| Cobh Summer Swing | Festival | 2,356.00 | 1,885.00 |
| Ardfield-Rathbarry Galley Flash Rowing Club | Oar Purchase Project | 4,492.00 | 2,246.00 |
| ZT Fish Company Limited | Added Value Unit for locally sourced frozen prawn and whitefish products | 53,167.80 | 26,583.90 |
| Castletownbere Rowing Club | Training and safety equipment purchase | 8,459.00 | 4,229.50 |
| David ODriscoll Self Employed Fisherman | Training and certification for Able seafarer course and related training | 2,180.00 | 1,090.00 |
| Courtmacsherry Rowing Club Company Limited by Guarantee | Maximising the participation of the community and tourists in the sport of coastal and offshore rowing | 9,840.00 | 4,920.00 |
| Richie Ryan – EIRE BASS | Eire Bass saltwater fly fishing business upgrade | 22,972.00 | 11,486.00 |
ENDS
Note to Editors
- Ireland’s EMFF Operational Programme 2014-2020http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/emff/ was adopted by the European Commission in December 2015 and launched in January 2016 by the Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine.
- The Programme provides €240m in funding to the seafood sector (fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing) over the period 2014 to 2020. The Programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.
- The Fisheries Local Area Development Scheme is a coastal community development strategy with a fund of €12 million for 7 designated Irish coastal communities.
- Focusing on coastal community rejuvenation, the FLAG strategy is centred on the renewal of practices and skills in the Fishing, Aquaculture and Maritime related sectors with the primary aim of bringing added value to the 7 FLAG Regions.
- The 7 FLAGs are South FLAG, (Cork), Southwest (Kerry, Limerick), South East (Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow) West (Mayo, Clare), Northwest (Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim), North (Donegal) and North East (Dublin, Louth, Meath).
- Bord Iascaigh Mhara assists FLAGs to deliver this programme through administering supports via grant-aid, training and on the ground facilitation, with dedicated regional FLAG coordinators in each region.
- The FLAG boards consider all applications for support and select projects for funding.
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