In April 2008, I announced a UNESCO World Heritage Programme for the coming years, with the objective of identifying and inscribing on UNESCO's World Heritage List those Irish Heritage sites deemed to be of outstanding universal value. As part of this process, Ireland's current tentative list, which dates back to 1992, will be reviewed and a new tentative list will be established with an agreed programme of applications to UNESCO.
I expect to get the review of the tentative list underway very shortly. The review will be overseen by an independent Expert Advisory Panel representative of both national and international experts. The terms of reference for this Advisory Panel will also include the prioritisation of sites on the new tentative list for nomination to UNESCO. Local stakeholder consultation in line with UNESCO recommendations for the development of tentative lists will be incorporated into the review process.
The nomination and inscription process for world heritage sites takes approximately two years from submission of the nomination application to actual inscription. I am currently engaging consultants to progress the nomination process for the Clonmacnoise site, which is on the current tentative list, for February 2009. If this application is successful the site will be inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2010. All of the remaining seven sites on the current tentative list, including the Rock of Cashel, will be considered in the context of the review.
