Mourne Heritage Homesteads Scheme Shortlisted for Europa Nostra Award
14 November 2008, This unique scheme responded to the loss of traditional buildings crucial to the character of the Mourne Area (AONB) and recognised the need for affordable housing for local people. This was achieved by renovating vacant traditional dwellings to a high standard for modern living using traditional building methods and materials and local building contractors.
Apart from saving these buildings from dereliction, the project also supported a cross-border education and training programme delivering traditional building skills training at all levels. This included the use of lime, traditional carpentry, thatching, stone masonry and other rural building skills on 27 courses to over 270 people and a travelling exhibition promoted the traditional building skills programme.
‘Traditional Buildings in Ireland – A Home Owners Handbook’ written by Dick Oram and Dawson Stelfox was published by the Trust in 2005 and provides practical information for similar traditional building repair projects.
This project has received other awards and was a finalist in the National Lottery Awards 2005 and has now been nominated for a prestigious Europa Nostra Award.