Two Kilkenny villages set to benefit from hundreds of thousands in project funding

Kilkenny LEADER administers €6.1 million in EU grants in the country across 2023-2027

Published 6th Apr 2026, 14:00 BST Kilmacow Loop Walk Kilkenny LEADER administers €6.1 million in EU grants in the country across 2023-2027 Sign up to our Kilkenny Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kilkenny Live within your account.

Projects in Kilmacow and Moneenroe are the latest to receive funding approval from the board of Kilkenny LEADER Partnership.

Kilmacow is to receive €151,303 in LEADER funding for its Green Hub project. The creation of the hub at its Community Sports Complex will see the installation of solar PV car charging, a bike shelter with charging points, grass-crete car parking, rainwater soakaways and a community garden, among a range of other improvements for accessibility and biodiversity.

“This group has demonstrated a coordinated solution in response to local needs and interests in a very smart way, which is innovative and in keeping with our Local Development Strategy here at Kilkenny LEADER partnership,” says Mairead Rohan, Programme Manager of LEADER in Kilkenny.

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Moneenroe Community Council, in partnership with Railyard GFC, is to receive €186,300 in LEADER funding to develop community tea-rooms, a shop, a youth study space, a walkway and a tool-lending library at a new SMART village hub.

The Community Council has a track record in running the community hall and the meals-on-wheels service. The new hub will be located in a leased section of the Railyard GFC clubhouse and brings to three the number of community spaces managed by the Community Council.

“Both projects are part of the SMART villages initiative, whereby a rural community uses technology, energy and infrastructure at its centre to make the surrounding community more resilient in the face of change,” explains Declan Rice, CEO of Kilkenny LEADER Partnership.

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