"An exciting day in Inniskeen".
These were the sentiments expressed by Cllr Aidan Campbell after a funding allocation of €750,000 was made to Co Monaghan under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme in conjunction with 'Our Rural Future' this morning.
Drum and Rockcorry, Inniskeen, Threemilehouse, and Monaghan Town are all set to benefit from the funding injection while in Co Cavan €1m has been provided for developments in Bailieborough, Swanlinbar, Killinaleck, Red Hills and Virginia.
The funding will support projects that tackle vacancy and dereliction by bringing landmark town centre buildings back to life.
Cllr Campbell said there were "big plans" in the pipeline for the money and he paid tribute to "those on the ground doing the work".
These people, he added, "are now being rewarded for all their hard work".
"There is work ongoing for the bridge in Inniskeen so there is lots of positive news in Inniskeen," he continued.
"The people who deserve credit here is the community; they are the people on the ground who have been doing all the work.
"Now they are getting rewarded for those efforts."
