Publications & Reports

In this edition - Áras na hOidhreachta: the archaeology of a palatial past - the history of the Bishop's Palace in Kilkenny, home to the Heritage Council and an important piece of our national heritage.

Also in this Issue:

- Celebrating Biodiveristy Week 2008 - How do we really feel about biodiversity loss? The Lichen Ireland project 2005 - 2008 and creating green infrastructure. Pollution in China, the wise use of wetlands, thatching and Castlecomer Discovery Park, Kilkenny.

These guidelines have been developed for Ecological Consultants to standardise both the methodology for survey of structures within the Heritage Council’s Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme and the reporting of same. In developing these guidelines, we have drawn on a wide range of expertise and believe that the advice given is the best that is currently available. Bat surveys submitted to the building owner and the Heritage Council must adhere to these guidelines in order to satisfy grant requirements under the Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme.

This Public Realm Plan for the Walled Town of Fethard seeks to provide a strategic framework by which the town can maximise the benefits of its many assets, without losing those special qualities that give it character and charm. 

The remit for this study was to inform national policy on issues relating to the conservation, enhancement and sustainable development of villages in Ireland. The stated aim was: “to examine the ways in which Village Design Statements have progressed and developed in Ireland, with particular emphasis on the involvement of the Heritage Council, Local Authorities / Local Authority Heritage Officers in VDS and the adoption of VDS as Supplementary Planning Guidance”.

One of the initiatives identified by the Heritage Council’s Strategic Plan 2007-2013 is that archaeological research issues and practice in the widest sense should be more overtly and consistently identified and from time to time reviewed. These research issues should also engage more with what both specialists and local communities find interesting about the past. To contribute to this the Heritage Council commissioned Mr George Lambrick to examine aerial archaeology in Ireland. Aerial Archaeology is the practice of using aircraft (or in some cases satellites) to provide a high-level view of the landscape based on conventional photography and a range of remote sensing technologies. That review is presented here.

In this issue:

ARE WE WILLING TO PAY FOR OUR HERITAGE?
A new report looks at the public’s concerns for the state of our heritage
FARMING ON THE EDGE
The benefits of traditional farming methods and its value for wildlife
FROM RAGS TO RICHES
Remembering Catherine Hayes, Ireland’s first operatic diva
ARE WE CONSERVING OUR NATURAL ARTERIES?
Ignorance of the broad benefits of our hedgerows is leading to their destruction
HERITAGE WEEK 2007
WALLED TOWNS DAY
PRESERVING BUILDINGS AT RISK

The specific objectives of the study can be summarised as follows:
• To explore, through survey and analysis, the overall attitudes, opinions and
experiences of the Irish public regarding heritage and heritage protection;
• To determine the aspects of heritage upon which the public places most value, particularly in the context of current general public spending;
• To establish the extent to which the public is willing to pay (in the form of a proposed notional taxation) for extra heritage protection or provision.
• To establish the contributing factors towards the valuation of heritage, in terms of socio-economic background, attitudes, information and personal values

The speakers examined the uses made of towpaths in the UK and in Ireland. Topics included the example of the regeneration of the Thames Navigation, the economic value of towpath activities, walking for health, access for all, anti-social behaviour, and current and future activities on towpaths in Ireland. It is hoped that, by presenting a range of experiences from these islands, new ideas may be stimulated for existing and future navigations in Ireland.

This approach is under-pinned by the wider need to place archaeological research into the context of public access, life-long learning, social inclusion and cultural diversity. The recommendations in this report attempt to address the crisis in which Irish archaeology was experiencing at this time.

The Bolton Library, Cashel, is one of Ireland’s great, but little known  treasures. The bequest of Archbishop Bolton, it provides a rich insight into the cultured milieu in which such a patron lived and the wide breadth of his learning and aspirations. 

It complements other such collections in Ireland, from the same period, such as the Worth Library and Marsh’s Library, both in Dublin. The donation of the Bolton Library to subsequent generations provided a legacy beyond price.