Ireland has launched the Pilot World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund, awarding nearly €240,000 to conserve, protect, and promote key World Heritage properties and Tentative List sites across the country. The initiative, announced by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, and Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, will support both existing World Heritage sites and those seeking future designation.
The fund is designed to safeguard heritage structures for future generations while improving their accessibility for local communities and visitors. It aims to conserve attributes of Outstanding Universal Value in World Heritage properties, as well as preserve the potential heritage value of Tentative List sites. This aligns with Ireland’s broader Strategy for World Heritage 2025–2035, which highlights empowering local communities and protecting heritage in the face of climate change.
Funding allocations under the pilot include €125,000 for the Transatlantic Cable Ensemble in Valentia, Co. Kerry, €87,000 for the Royal Sites of Ireland, €22,000 for the Passage Tomb Landscape of Sligo, and €3,500 for Brú na Bóinne in Co. Meath. These investments will go toward conservation works, improved interpretation, and better accessibility for the public.
Government officials stressed the importance of the initiative in safeguarding Ireland’s internationally significant heritage. Minister Browne emphasized that the grants will help custodians protect and present heritage structures, while Minister O’Sullivan highlighted that the scheme also strengthens community engagement and resilience against climate impacts.
The World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund operates under two streams: smaller grants of up to €25,000 to improve interpretation and access, and larger grants of up to €100,000 to support conservation and essential repairs. Eligibility applies to structures recorded as protected monuments, part of conservation areas, or identified within the boundaries or buffer zones of World Heritage properties and Tentative List sites.
Ireland currently has two UNESCO World Heritage sites—Brú na Bóinne, inscribed in 1993, and Sceilg Mhichíl, inscribed in 1996—alongside several Tentative List sites including the Passage Tomb Landscape of Sligo, the Royal Sites of Ireland, and the Transatlantic Cable Ensemble. The fund represents a new commitment to preserving and promoting these unique places as part of humanity’s shared heritage.
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