Recreation

Recreational activities engage public interest, helping people to enjoy and appreciate the countryside and the many aspects of Ireland’s natural and built heritage. Find out more about how you can enjoy Heritage.

More Information

Role

The Heritage Council’s work in the area of recreation features the Beara Breifne Way. Other strategic initiatives include Comhairle na Tuaithe, Leave No Trace, Wicklow Sustainable Trails Network, the European Greenways Association (EGWA) and the Countryside Recreation Network (CRN). The Heritage Council advises on developments at a county level and has funded recreation-based work through the County Heritage Plans.

In 2007, the Heritage Council published an in-depth study, Valuing Heritage in Ireland. This revealed that people's main motivation in preserving heritage is personal health. When asked why heritage should be protected, 68% felt that protecting and enhancing our natural heritage for walks, enjoyment and recreation are vital for everyone’s health and physical well-being.

The management of countryside recreation should be rooted in rural communities and must deal sensitively with heritage issues. Recreational facilities can provide important boosts to rural economies and for those living in rural areas. The Vías Verdes in Spain and the new mountain-biking trails in Wales are two examples of successful recreation projects that have had dramatic and positive effects on the surrounding rural economies. The health benefits of countryside recreation are now well established, and may provide future links to funding.

The recreational use of traditional and heritage boats guarantees their survival into the future. Events such as regattas and rallies are opportunities for colourful gatherings enjoyed by those who watch from the shore as well as those who participate.

Best Practice

To ensure that aspects of heritage are not negatively affected by walking routes, either by up-grading works on the routes, or the impact of walkers along the routes, the Heritage Council encourages walking route developers to undertake heritage surveys (archaeological, ecological, built heritage) at the planning stage.

There are also legal requirements for archaeological and environmental impact assessments under the National Monuments Acts and areas of environmental designation, such as Natural Heritage Areas and Special Areas of Conservation.

In the short term, heritage surveys may identify heritage along the routes that would enhance the walkers’ experience in addition to those sites already known, and so the route and/or any proposed guidebooks can draw attention to those features. Conversely, some heritage may be identified as needing protection from walking, and so the route may need to be altered slightly, or measures taken to lessen the damaging impact.

In the long term, information collected could be included in the map/guidebooks in particular on the wildlife and habitat aspects of heritage.

More importantly, information can be gathered from which indicators can be gleaned by which the effects of this project on heritage and on the locality can be assessed. This is key to measuring the sustainability of a walking route development.

Through initiatives such as Leave No Trace, the Heritage Council encourages all outdoor enthusiasts — walkers, mountain bikers, canoeists, orienteers, horse riders — to do their part in maintaining those lands used by the public for the benefit of the environment and for future generations.