County Heritage Officers

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. The programme celebrated 20 years in 2019. As of 1st September 2021, there is now a Heritage Officer employed in each Local Authority.

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 of having a Heritage Officer

• 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.

2021 County Heritage Plan Projects

Each year The Heritage Council provides grant assistance to Local Authorities for projects which support the implementation of their County Heritage Plans. Here is the list of projects being undertaken this year. Previous years can be found here

Training and Development

The Heritage Council provides technical, developmental, professional and training support, in addition to financial subsidisation, in respect of all Heritage Officers appointed to Local Authorities. (Year One: 75% / Year Two: 50% /Year Three+: 25%.) The non-financial support is primarily delivered through the Heritage Officer Training and Development Programme. The Heritage Council endeavors to maintain the standard and quality of the Heritage Training and Development Programme at all times. Direct training has been provided in relation to County Heritage Plans, Heritage Appraisal, Conservation Plans, Facilitation and Planning Legislation.

Local Authority Heritage Officer Contact Details

As Local Authority Heritage Officers continue to work remotely at present, email is likely the best avenue to make contact.