A 12th-century abbey and a Georgian mansion have been included on a list of the world's 100 most endangered sites.
Athassel Abbey in Co Tipperary and Headfort House in Kells, Co Meath, were both included on the 2004 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites, commissioned by the New York-based World Monument Fund.
The list is composed of monuments around the world in need of restoration, including the Great Wall of China.
"What the list does is elevate a place like Headfort House into the same category as the Great Wall of China. It raises the profile for fund-raising," said Mr Colin Amery, director of the London branch of the World Monuments Fund.
Athassel Abbey is home to 12th-century medieval ruins that have been eroded by water damage and natural ageing. The restoration work will include a consolidation of loose stonework to bolster the site against future damage.
Headfort House is a Georgian mansion significant for its five rooms designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam in the 1770s. The rooms are the only remaining examples of Adam's work in Ireland, but they have sustained water damage and dry rot. The roof is also in need of repair.
Mr Dick Blackiston Houston, chairman of the Headfort Trust, said the trust would use the list designation as a "lever for fund-raising".
The 100 sites on the list are funded either from the World Monument Foundations endowments or from corporate sponsors, in addition to local and governmental fund-raising. The endowments match private funds euro for euro and government funds by 50 per cent.
"Seventy per cent of the sites on the lists get further financial help and significant publicity, advocacy and big propaganda value from it," Mr Amery said. The organisation has raised $25 million since 1996.
The Minister for Environment, Mr Cullen, welcomed the outside funding and said he wanted to ensure that both sites were there "for many generations to come". He said the Government could not always find funding for all 750 monuments in Ireland, but told Mr Amery that there were other monuments he would talk to him about in the future.
The Brown Clayton Memorial Tower, Co Wexford, was the last restoration carried out by the fund in Ireland. This is the first year that two Irish sites have been on the list.
The World Monument Foundation is a private, non-profit organisation that was started in 1965 by an American veteran who wanted to restore European sites damaged during the second World War. The endangered sites list, which was started in 1996, is compiled every two years. There were 310 nominees this year, 12 of which were from Ireland.