County Heritage Officers

Overview

County Heritage Officers are employed by Local Authorities in partnership with the Heritage Council under the auspices of the Heritage Officer Programme, which was initiated in 1999.

Heritage Officers manage the heritage function within a county in a strategic and co-ordinated manner. They adopted an integrated approach to heritage which envelopes all aspects of heritage within the overall heritage service. They aim to promote enhanced levels of understanding, conservation and preservation by improving the status and perception of heritage in their local area. Heritage objectives are identified and priorities in Local Heritage Plans that are formally adopted by Local Authorities.

The Heritage Officer function is extremely broad and carried out in the context of individual local authority preferences. Some of the principal areas addressed by Heritage Officers include

• Local Heritage Plans
• Advice and Information for Local Authority Staff
• Heritage Appraisal
• Data Collection
• Liaison
• Public Relations
• Public Consultation
• Strategies, Policies and Projects

Benefits

• County Heritage Officers play a key role in promoting awareness, knowledge and pride in local heritage. 
• They provide advice, guidance and information on various aspects of Irish heritage and heritage best practice.
• As part of their work, officers collect data and undertake research on various aspects of the local heritage.
• They play a key role in developing policies and priorities for the identification, protection, conservation and enhancement of Ireland’s heritage.
• They support the integration and inclusion of heritage policy across all sectors, officers also prepare and implement actions of their county’s Heritage and Biodiversity Plans.

Further Information

Follow the link to the Heritage section of your local authority where you will find the most up-to-date information on publications, resources and events relating to heritage in your county. Find your local authority