Ireland ratified the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Convention in 1991, and Ireland’s two World Heritage Properties were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993 (Brú na Bóinne) and 1996 (Sceilg Mhichíl). The Convention is an international treaty between States Parties. It calls for state processes, initiatives, oversight and management of World Heritage, backed by public and community support, engagement and participation. As a signatory to the Convention, Ireland is under an obligation to conserve, present and transmit to future generations the Outstanding Universal Values of its existing and future World Heritage Properties.
At the National Monuments Service we have developed a strategy that provides the overarching framework for implementing the Convention over the next ten years. The vision for fostering World Heritage in Ireland involves the exemplary protection and management of World Heritage Properties, empowered local communities and stakeholders, enhanced awareness and understanding of World Heritage generally, and the inscription of further Irish properties on the World Heritage List.
The effective protection and management of World Heritage Properties can bring both national and local benefits. At a national level, World Heritage in the form of strategic and globally significant ‘heritage sites’ enhances Ireland’s international profile and influence. At a local level, World Heritage Properties can generate enhanced income for local tourism economies, encourage a sense of pride in place, and offer a unique focus of identity for local communities. Further information on Ireland’s World Heritage Properties, Tentative List Sites, and our World Heritage strategy can be found at World Heritage Ireland.