From the very beginning, Mountshannon Community Council and InisCealtra Community Development Ltd. recognised that the construction of the Aistear was dependant on the FÁS Community Employment Programme. There was a continuity of membership in both groups throughout the whole process to ensure this.   

FÁS are a national organisation with local and regional offices located around the country. Voluntary organisations and groups may apply for and sponsor projects which benefit the public and community at large. The sponsor group is provided with resources to employ unemployed people on specific projects. During the period of work, opportunities are provided for education and training, tailored to the needs of the participants. While initially the FÁS CEP had only a few people working on the project, this was expanded as the project progressed. In 1996, the Community Council applied to FÁS for an increase in the number of participants to work on the project. The application was successful. 

It is now FÁS policy to encourage sponsors to employ fifteen or more participants and a full-time supervisor. Through their Community Employment Programme, people have an opportunity to engage in work and projects within their own community. FÁS pay the wages of the participants and supervisor and also pay a grant towards the cost of materials. In this way local groups and organisations are able to develop projects within their own areas that could not otherwise be achieved.  As well as FÁS and Clare County Council, one of the other major financial contributors to the project was Rural Resource Development Ltd., who initially allocated the maximum LEADER I grant aid of ₤50,000. The Company provided matched funding of ₤50,000. Throughout the first few years regular meetings were held to plan the construction and to source funding. Step by step the maze was constructed, stone was sourced from every quarter and gravel from the local farmers’ gravel pits was given freely.

During the construction of the maze, it became apparent to the Company that there was space underneath the centre which could be utilised as a workshop and administrative area. A successful application for planning permission was quickly made to Clare County Council to amend the plans and the structure was raised slightly to facilitate the development. Toilets, administrative area and workshop space were incorporated into the project.  

Throughout the years there has been a continuity of effort to complete the project. Since it was a local project, materials were sourced from local businesses where credit was available. Detailed accounting procedures were put in place and adhered to. Business plans and applications for funding became a regular feature of the lives of the members of the Company. Every organisational business plan and application had its own criteria for funding.

In 1995, Slattery Accountants were nominated by Clare County Council as the official bookkeepers of the project and this has continued throughout the whole development of the Aistear. The cheerful goodwill of their representative, Ger Kelly, was often instrumental in keeping a positive outlook on the completion of the overall project.   

Installation of Texts in the Seven Spaces of the Maze