Following a public consultation process and consideration by an expert advisory group, a new World Heritage List Tentative List for Ireland was approved and submitted to UNESCO in March 2010 containing the following sites:
- The Burren;
- The Céide Fields and the North West Mayo Boglands;
- The Monastic City of Clonmacnoise and its Cultural Landscape;
- The Historic City of Dublin;
- Early Medieval Monastic Sites (including Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Glendalough, Inis Cealtra, Kells and Monasterboice);
- The Royal Sites of Ireland (Cashel, Dún Ailinne, Hill of Uisneach, Rathcroghan Complex, Tara Complex and, potentially, Eamhain Macha in Co. Armagh); and
- The Western Stone Forts.
The nomination of a property to the World Heritage List is a significant undertaking that requires the development of comprehensive nomination documentation, including a management plan for the property. Following submission of a nomination to UNESCO, it is evaluated by three advisory bodies:
- the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS);
- the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); and
- the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property(ICCROM).
Once the site has been evaluated, the intergovernmental World Heritage Committee makes the final decision regarding the site’s inclusion on the World Heritage List.
My Department’s policy, which mirrors that of UNESCO, is that nominations for world heritage status must be driven in the first instance by local authorities and communities. Against that background, my Department hosted a seminar in September 2013 for local authorities and community representatives from the areas of the sites on Ireland’s current Tentative List to gauge the level of interest in the potential nominations and to clarify the significant research and other requirements involved in preparing nomination documentation.
Discussions have subsequently taken place in relation to all the sites on the Tentative List. Progress has been most marked in relation to the proposed nominations of the Burren and the Royal Sites of Ireland where it would appear that there is sufficient support at this stage for undertaking the nomination process. My Department will work with stakeholders to consider the next steps in these cases and will also work with representatives of other Tentative List sites where there is an interest in pursuing the nomination process.
