The Irish government has announced a pilot World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund to invest €240,000 to conserve, maintain, protect and promote World Heritage in Ireland.
Government IE writes:
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, and Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, have today announced that three World Heritage Tentative List sites and one World Heritage Property will be awarded just under €240,000 in funding under the 2025 Pilot World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund. These grants help owners and custodians of structures located within World Heritage Properties and Tentative List sites to safeguard them for future generations, while improving their accessibility for communities and the public. The core aims of the pilot fund are:
- To enhance, protect and conserve attributes of Outstanding Universal Value in World Heritage Properties
- To enhance, protect and conserve attributes of potential Outstanding Universal Value in World Heritage Tentative List Sites.
The Pilot World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund supports a range of initiatives to conserve, maintain, protect and promote archaeological and built heritage within World Heritage Properties and Tentative List Sites in Ireland. The awards granted as part of this pilot fund include:
- €125,000 for the Transatlantic Cable Ensemble, Valentia, Co. Kerry
- €87,000 for The Royal Sites of Ireland
- €22,000 for The Passage Tomb Landscape of Sligo
- €3,500 for Brú na Bóinne, Co. Meath
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, TD, said: ‘The award of these grants recognises the important work carried out by the custodians of these internationally significant structures and will assist in their ongoing protection and presentation.’
Speaking today, Minister of State O’Sullivan said: ‘This new initiative not only preserves our rich heritage, but also delivers on actions within the recently launched Strategy for World Heritage in Ireland 2025-2035 to empower local communities. This pilot fund helps to improve the interpretation and presentation of structures, enhance accessibility, and enable the protection and conservation of structures in need of urgent support, including building resilience to withstand the effects of climate change. I wish all of the award recipients, including the many spearheaded by local communities, the best of luck in rolling out their projects.’
