Heritage Council

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The Heritage Council seeks to protect and enhance the richness, quality and diversity of our national heritage for everyone. It works with its partners to increase awareness of our national heritage.

NEW HERITAGE COUNCIL WEBSITE DETAILS INFO ON ‘HERITAGE IN YOUR AREA’

Thursday 12th March: The newly designed Heritage Council website details information on ‘Heritage in your Area’.

The heritage landscape has altered significantly since the Heritage Council was established 14 years ago. The new website is a reflection of this changing landscape and meets the demand for a diverse range of heritage information that is useful to a range of sectors including state bodies, local authorities, policy makers, planners, teachers, NGOs and the general public.

New and improved features of the redesigned website include;

An interactive map providing information on projects and plans for the ‘Heritage in your Area’.

A dedicated publications section including all of the Heritage Council’s publications in pdf format including posters on marine, farming, archaeology, market research, policy documents and much more.

An events calendar that details events taking place across the build and natural heritage sectors.

Inland waterways section that draws together years of research work on the Shannon is now available for the first time online.

Individual pages for each sectoral area, which outline the Heritage Council’s priorities and projects of each.

A media section.
Polling facility.
FAQ’s.
RSS Feeds.
Full bi-lingual capabilities.
Photo galleries.

This new website is a transformation from the previous Council website, which was designed 11 years ago. It represents the environment within which the Heritage Council now operates and in addition to general information about heritage nationwide, the website also provides specific data on key areas of interest.

Speaking about the website, Isabell Smyth, Head of Communications & Education at the Heritage Council said, “For the first time, details of the Heritage Council’s research, funding programmes, data collected and projects will be accessible to the wider public. This information will be of use across the education, planning and policy spectrum. A key feature on the new website is the ability to search for information by geographic area (location) and sectoral interest”.

“For example the Heritage Council’s studies on the Shannon area provide the most comprehensive account of the Shannon’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for development and threats to its unique appeal. On the newly designed website, these studies are available with a searchable database and interactive mapping section, allowing users to access extensive research and data in an easy-to-use format”.

In addition to the website, a new monthly online newsletter has been created. It will provide up to date information for those interested in new publications, tenders, events and jobs for the sector.

The new site was developed by Roomthree who have extensive experience in the design and development of content management systems and employ a very strategic approach to using technology to identify and solve communication problems.

[ENDS]

Note to Editor:

The Heritage Council is the statutory body charged with identifying, protecting, preserving and enhancing Ireland’s national heritage. National heritage includes Monuments, Archaeological objects, Heritage objects, Architectural heritage, Flora, Fauna, Wildlife habitats, Landscapes, Seascapes, Wrecks, Geology, Heritage gardens and parks, and Inland waterways.

Established under the Heritage Act 1995, and operating under the aegis of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Heritage Council provides advice to the Minister, and partners and networks with Local Authorities and a wide range of other organisations and individuals to promote Ireland’s heritage.

The Heritage Council Grants Programme which is part funded by the National Lottery has awarded over 3000 awards since it began in 1998. Each of these awards has helped raise the awareness and importance of Ireland’s national heritage. Grants are awarded under eight grant schemes including; Local Heritage, Publications, Museums and Archives, Unpublished Excavation, Archaeology Research, Wildlife Research, Architecture Research and Biodiversity Fund.

For further information;

Michelle Guinan, MKC Communications 01 7038604 / 086 3846630

Michelle Guinan, Senior Client Manager

MKC Communications

The Archway, 4 Lower Pembroke Street, Dublin 2

Tel. D/L +353 1 7038604 / Fax. +353 1 678 8331

Mobile. +353 86 3846630 http://www.mkc.ie