Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 May 2022
86. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has had any engagements with the stakeholders of the Gearagh in County Cork; if there are any plans to upgrade the classification of this site from a special area of conservation to designating it as a UNESCO world heritage site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22165/22]
View answerIn January 2019, the National Monuments Service of my Department announced an open call for applications for a new Tentative List of potential World Heritage Sites in Ireland. The UNESCO World Heritage Operational Guidelines advise that the Tentative List is updated at least once every ten years. Sites must first be placed on the Tentative List before they can be submitted for inscription as a World Heritage property. They must also clearly demonstrate potential Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), i.e., be able to show that they are so exceptional that their importance transcends national boundaries.
The following applications were received which are currently being reviewed by an Expert Technical Group:
- The Passage Tomb Landscape of County Sligo;
- Inis Cealtra, County Clare;
- Transatlantic Cable Ensemble: Valentia-Heart’s Content, County Kerry and Newfoundland, Canada;
- The Cultural Landscape of the Burren Uplands, County Clare;
- The Royal Sites of Ireland, (Dún Ailinne, Hill of Uisneach, Cashel, Rathcroghan Complex, Tara Complex, and Navan Fort) and Glendalough, County Wicklow;
No application was received in relation to the Gearagh Special Area of Conservation and no representations have been made to the World Heritage Unit in the National Monuments Service in relation to this site either by the Local Authority, the local community or by local stakeholders.
I anticipate announcing a new Tentative List for Ireland in June 2022 following completion of the current technical review. In addition I intend to publish a new ten-year Strategy for World Heritage in Ireland later this year. The Strategy will include a commitment to open up the Tentative List process on a more regular basis, giving community organisations and groups an opportunity to submit sites for inclusion on Ireland's Tentative List.
