Uchtaigh Séadchomhartha

2015 – ongoing

Scéim le cabhrú le pobail a bheith páirteach go gníomhach i gcaomhnú agus léirmhíniú a láithreáin áitiúla sheandálaíocha agus chultúrtha oidhreachta.

Overview

Our ancient history has bestowed on us a wealth of monuments that need care and attention to ensure that they survive for future generations to enjoy.

Through the Adopt a Monument Scheme we provide expertise, mentoring and support to encourage communities to ‘adopt’ a monument in their area in order to ensure ongoing maintenance and greater protection through increased civic value.

Aims and Objectives

This is an innovative way of bringing monuments and local heritage from the periphery into the heart of a community.

We want to help community groups embrace their heritage site, be it a prehistoric tomb, stone circle, medieval town wall, castle, church, bridge, graveyard, landed estate, mine, kiln, mill, traditional house or battlefield.

Our vision is that the chosen monument will serve as a focal point for heritage-related, educational and recreational activities and will encourage greater interpretation and understanding.

The Scheme offers opportunities to:

• become actively involved in the conservation and interpretation of heritage sites in your local area;
• collaborate and work together as a community;
• participate in community development;
• boost regional tourism, business and employment opportunities;
• develop and understand the story of your locality and keep active and learn new skills.

The Participants

Resources & Getting Involved

A Guide to the Adopt A Monument Scheme

This booklet is a guide to the Adopt a Monument Scheme and is aimed at communities, groups and individuals interested in managing, protecting and promoting their local heritage. It explains what Adopt a Monument is, how to apply, and it also features testimonials from community groups involved with the scheme.
View/Download A Guide to the Adopt A Monument Scheme

Know Your 5K

‘KnowYour5k ’ is a new initiative from the Heritage Council (as part of the Adopt a Monument scheme) and National Museum of Ireland which provides an opportunity to share discoveries about our hidden heritage. The project helps the public to use a wealth of online resources to find out more about the story of their locality.

It is all about sharing the story of your local place. If you have a poem, story, picture or drawing about a particular heritage site in your locality, why not share it with us at: https://www.ouririshheritage.org/content/category/archive/place/knowyour5k

The upload process is straightforward and there are guides about online tools to help with researching the story of your place. You can contribute your own stories or discover the hidden heritage that surrounds us all by browsing through other contributions. We hope the KnowYour5k project helps you to discover the stories that surrounds us all!

Adopt A Monument Manual

The Adopt a Monument Manual has been designed as a guidance document for participants in the Heritage Council’s Adopt a Monument Scheme, but we hope it is also useful for any communities who are interested in carrying out community heritage projects.

The manual covers a broad range of themes including:

Research Techniques
Recording Techniques
Publication and Archiving
Best Practice in Care and Conservation
Interpretation
Promotion, Outreach and Communication
Funding Sources
Health and Safety
Useful Contacts and Statutory Requirements

Guidance For Community Archaeology Projects

PDF (3.72 MB)

Adopt a Monument Research Toolkit

The Adopt a Monument Research Toolkit is a great resource for anyone interested in studying their local heritage. This toolkit gives detailed guidance about a range of online sources that you can consult to learn more about sites and monuments. It also provides advice on how to develop your research questions and how to evaluate and record sources.

There are profiles of some of the key sources, such as the National Monuments Service, the Ordnance Survey of Ireland and the Schools Folklore Collection. You may be surprised by how much you can discover about your chosen site by consulting these and the many other sources outlined in the toolkit.