Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2013
327. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which his Department continues to liaise and co-operate with the authorities in Northern Ireland in the promotion of heritage sites of Irish culture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44798/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department’s remit in relation to North-South co-operation includes Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga (comprising Foras na Gaeilge and Tha Boord o Ulstèr Scotch/The Ulster-Scots Agency), which both have a key role in promoting tourism and cultural diversity, understanding and development throughout the island of Ireland. My Department also works on a range of issues across the area of built heritage, arts and culture and the natural heritage with public agencies in Northern Ireland where opportunities for co-operation arise.
My Department provides core funding for the Heritage Council, which supports a range of initiatives involving co-operation with the authorities in Northern Ireland, including National Heritage Week, the Irish Walled Towns Network and the Museum Standards Programme of Ireland. I understand that this year Heritage Week included events from Counties Antrim and Down and that the Irish Walled Towns Network includes, as a founder member, Derry City, which this year celebrates the 400th anniversary of the laying out of the ground on which Derry’s walls were built. The Museum Standards Programme of Ireland, which sets out to raise standards of curatorship across Irish museums and galleries, includes, as one of its participants, the Museum of Free Derry. Many of the museums in the programme also participate in cross border initiatives under their own auspices, such as Donegal County Museum, Cavan County Museum and Monaghan Museum. In addition, I understand that Heritage Officers in border counties, who are part-funded by the Heritage Council, are involved in on-going co-operation and collaboration with their colleagues in Northern Ireland on heritage issues.
In September of this year, I hosted a seminar which was designed to gauge the interest of local authorities and community groups in pursuing full nomination of World Heritage Status for the sites on Ireland’s current Tentative List and to clarify all the elements involved in applying for and retaining such status. The seminar was attended by representatives of Armagh District Council in connection with the possibility of including Eamhain Mhacha/Navan Fort in the Royal Sites of Ireland nomination (currently comprised of Cashel, Dún Ailinne, the Hill of Uisneach, and the Rathcroghan and Tara Complexes). The promotion and marketing of the island of Ireland as a tourist designation is primarily a matter for Tourism Ireland, which, as all-island body, works in strategic partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and with other industry partners to expand Ireland’s valuable tourism market and to highlight the unique qualities of Ireland’s national heritage abroad.
