Latest news with #HeritageCouncil
Irish Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Wexford projects receive €74,639 in funding under the Heritage Council's 2025 Community Heritage Grant Scheme
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD, said: 'I am delighted to see so many excellent initiatives in Wexford supported through this grant funding. These groups conserve and protect our local heritage for generations to come to enjoy and I look forward to seeing the projects come to life through this funding.' The recipients of the funds are: Saltmills and St Kearns Community Group, €9,759, Kilanerin Tidy Towns, €9,050, Tara Hill Community Development Association CLG, €3,300, Ferns Community Development Association, €24,310, and Druimcree Historical Group, €7,425 (across multiple counties). The over €24,000 in funding awarded to Ferns Community Development Association will support it in its work to conduct a conservation survey and plan which will set out a route map in how to conserve, maintain and enhance the natural, archaeological and built heritage of the Ferns old historic graveyard. The Heritage Council is distributing more than €1.9 million through the Scheme this year to support 132 heritage initiatives across Ireland. These grants will enable local communities to conserve and celebrate Ireland's built, cultural, and natural heritage. The allocation follows a national call for applications in February, which attracted hundreds of proposals from heritage groups, volunteers, and community organisations across the country. Several initiatives funded will operate across Ireland. These include Bat Conservation Ireland, which has been awarded €15,583 for the second phase of its "Gardening for Bats" project; the Royal Dublin Society, receiving €19,491 for the preservation, digitisation, and cataloguing of the Lawrence Steele Egyptology Collection; and the Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network, which has been granted €22,525 for its project on the oral histories of Irish show people. All funded projects can begin work immediately and are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Previous recipients in Wexford have used this funding to restore architectural features, digitise local archives, and carry out conservation training — strengthening both the preservation of heritage and the local economy. Dr. Martina Moloney, Chairperson of the Heritage Council added: 'The Heritage Council is committed to empowering communities and ensuring that our shared heritage is preserved and celebrated by all. This scheme reflects that commitment, supporting a diverse range of projects—from conservation and skills training to research and interpretation—that might not otherwise receive funding. Initiatives like the Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme, Adopt a Monument, and Heritage in Schools show how local engagement and national support can combine to deliver real, lasting benefits.' "The Community Heritage Grant Scheme is a vital part of this approach, helping communities across Ireland protect the places, stories, and traditions that matter most to them.' Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, remarked: 'Through the Community Heritage Grant Scheme, we are proud to support the work of local groups who care deeply about their heritage and who are taking meaningful action to protect and promote it. Whether it's restoring a local landmark, recording oral histories, or creating habitats for biodiversity, these projects have a tangible and lasting impact." 'They strengthen local identity, drive tourism, and create opportunities for learning, connection, and employment. We see time and again how this scheme brings people together and builds pride of place across the country,' she added.
Irish Independent
01-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Elders of Cork's Traveller community draw on their memories of days of old to inform new archive
The project was funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and supported by the Heritage Council An online archive focused on preserving and sharing cultural heritage while keeping the stories of Cork Travellers documented and accessible for future generations was launched in Cork on Thursday.
Irish Independent
22-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Various Sligo heritage projects receive grant aid
The Heritage Council is distributing more than €1.9 million through the Scheme this year to support 132 heritage initiatives across Ireland. These grants will enable local communities to conserve and celebrate Ireland's built, cultural, and natural heritage. The allocation follows a national call for applications in February, which attracted hundreds of proposals from heritage groups, volunteers, and community organisations across the country. The funding recipients in Sligo are as follows: Riverstown Enterprise Development Sligo Ltd, €25,000 Seefin Heritage Group, €9,266 Enniscrone & District Community Development CLG, €16,851 Tireragh Community Support Ltd, €5,859 Rosses Point Church of Ireland, €10,000 Skreen Parish Church, €25,000 St. Mary's GAA Club, €2,350 Achonry Mullinabreena Community Enhancement CLG, €5,408 Taunagh Select Vestry, €16,883 The €25,000 received by the Riverstown Enterprise Development Sligo Ltd. will contribute to a multifaceted effort towards the preservation of the Countess Markievicz Exhibit in Sligo that involves several locations around the county which have connections to the countess' life, including an exhibition in Sligo County Library and Lissadell House, where she spent her childhood. Another key project is funding for the preservation of mediaeval Skreen Church, graveyard, and box tombs. Historic graveyards play an important role in the cultural life of Irish people and represents the focal point in the historical life of a parish. Projects such as these reflect the wide range of initiatives supported by the scheme — from safeguarding historic structures to researching local heritage, restoring habitats, and building biodiversity expertise within communities. A full list of funded projects is available from here. All funded projects can begin work immediately and are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Previous recipients in Sligo have used this funding to restore architectural features, digitise local archives, and carry out conservation training — strengthening both the preservation of heritage and the local economy. Deputy Frank Feighan congratulated the successful project applicants which present a variety of heritage conservation projects which hopefully include safeguarding historic structures to researching local heritage, restoring habitats, and building biodiversity expertise within communities.
ABC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
State environment department recommends heritage listing Victoria Park, but Olympic stadium will still go ahead
The state's environment department has recommended heritage listing the site for Brisbane's 2032 stadium, as the government prepares to pass legislation to override dozens of protections if they get in the way of Olympic venues. Premier David Crisafulli announced a new Olympic and Paralympic Games stadium would be built at Victoria Park in March. Just weeks later, Department of the Environment director Xanthe O'Donnell recommended expanding the park's heritage protection and revising the statement of cultural heritage significance. The recommendation made to the Heritage Council described Victoria Park as "important in demonstrating the establishment and evolution of Queensland's early public recreation reserves". The application will now be considered by the Queensland Heritage Council. The government's bill, introduced earlier this month, will give the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) power to override 15 planning laws. Deputy Premier and State Development Minister Jarrod Bleijie said the new legislation will allow the government to deliver Games infrastructure "on time and on budget". "After more than 1,200 wasted days under Labor, we are getting on with the job of delivering a winning legacy for Queensland," he said. "The decision to introduce these new laws was not taken lightly but they are necessary to make up for Labor's wasted three years, which require a specific streamlined approval process to implement the 2032 Delivery Plan." David Hinchliffe, from Save Victoria Park, said the recommendation strengthened the group's argument against the stadium. "To encompass the whole of the park is a major statement about the history and the importance of Victoria Park," he told ABC Brisbane Local Radio. Mr Hinchliffe said the group was confident in its planned legal challenge to building the stadium at Victoria Park. "The government ought to have a plan B in their back pocket, because it's not a lay down misère, it's not definite," he said.
RTÉ News
01-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Climate Risk Register sought following extreme weather
The Heritage Council is calling for a climate risk register for heritage, saying that extreme weather events have already demonstrated vulnerability. The Council's Chief Excecutive Virginia Teehan said the country's "wonderful historic landscapes are really threatened". "The storms knocked many trees in North Leinster, many of the grand estates and domains, I know hundreds of trees were knocked, and these are all part of the history of that place," she said. "Equally, buildings which are built on flood plains, for example, in 2009 the massive flooding that devastated Cork city, it also impacted a leading cultural institution, the Glucksman gallery." The Taoiseach attended the council's Heritage Horizons conference at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham and promised continued government support "Ireland's heritage is central to our identity and sense of place - it connects our communities, strengthens our society, and shapes how we see ourselves in the world. But it also faces significant challenges, including the impact of climate change on our natural and built environment. "The Government is committed to addressing these through sustained investment and targeted policy development, ensuring heritage continues to contribute to our economic, social and environmental wellbeing," he said. Heritage funding did increase by 174% in the years from 2019 to 2024, and the number of staff in the Heritage Council doubled. There has also been an increase in heritage related staff in local authorities and the council is calling for this to continue. The Heritage Council is arguing there is a credible economic argument for supporting the sector, saying it contributed €4.6 billion every year to the economy and supported 62,000 jobs in 2022. It is also calling for a review of the 1995 Heritage Act "to reflect Ireland's evolving heritage landscape, particularly the need to better protect intangible cultural heritage, biodiversity, and digital heritage." Climate already a 'live issue' Keynote speaker at the KIlmainham event, musician Iarla Ó Lionáird said climate is already a live issue. "The fallacy is, I suppose that we, we go around thinking that these changes are coming downstream, that they're not here now, that they won't affect us. They do affect people in rural Ireland in very profound ways, flooding, difficulties with harvesting, with agriculture, very, very serious difficulties with water quality. "These are puzzling to me, profound difficulties that we tend to make light of. But they're very serious, very serious for public health, very serious for long term well being of our own health, our own well being, and other creatures we share the space with," he said. Another speaker, ecologist and writer Anja Murray told RTÉ News that one of the tragedies of losing parts of natural heritage is that subsequent generations don't even know what it is missing - a phenomenon known as the shifting baseline syndrome. "For example, we know now that there has been a 70% decline in many of our commonest butterfly species. So the teenagers of today won't realize the difference, the dearth of butterflies that there would be compared to, say, 20 years ago, and each new generation comes at this without the perspective of what we've actually lost," said Ms Murray Ms Teehan believes that heritage is essential for climate resilience. "Heritage is not only at risk from climate change - it is also part of the solution," she said. "While rising temperatures, extreme weather, coastal erosion and increased rainfall already pose significant threats to elements of our national heritage - from coastal sites and wetland habitats to traditional building stock - heritage also offers powerful tools for resilience. "Traditional skills, nature-based solutions and cultural knowledge can help strengthen climate adaptation and support Ireland's transition to a more sustainable future," she added. Community theme central to discussions That community theme was central for one speaker on the Identity panel discussion at Kilmainham. Musician Breandán Ó Beaglaoich from the Chorca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht says planning policy which prevents young people building a home in their own area threatens Gaeltacht communities. "I didn't really hear anything about the Irish language being strangled at source," he said. "It has flowed down through the generations. There's an interest and a love for it by the young people, and they're being caused to suffer by these laws, and it's killing the language at source." He agrees climate must be a priority, but says Gaeilge and Gaeltacht communities must be protected. Mr Ó Lionáird, who is from Gaeltacht Mhúscraí in West Cork agrees that language, heritage and environment are intertwined. "Everything we do that embraces heritage has to do with the living space that we occupy, and you can't divorce it from issues to do with how we treat the planet, how we treat our environment, whether it be local, or national, or global. "We have tremendous challenges here in Ireland with regard to the stewardship of the lived environment, industrial policy, agriculture and in fact, all of the human activities that we associate with modern living have a direct impact on the environment," said Mr Ó Lionáird.
