The Minister for Arts and Heritage, Ms de Valera, has recommended protection by planning authorities for over 2,000 buildings in 17 towns and one county, Clare.
The 17 towns covered are Ballina and Castlebar, Co Mayo; Clonmel and Roscrea, Co Tipperary; Galway; Kilkenny; Letterkenny, Co Donegal; Longford; Portlaoise, Co Laois; Tullamore, Co Offaly; Wicklow; Ennis, Co Clare; Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim; Cavan; Monaghan; Roscommon; and Sligo. Buildings recorded in the Clare Interim County Survey are also included.
The 2,155 buildings have been identified since last August for inclusion in the Record of Protected Structures, which is part of a new system to strengthen protection of the architectural heritage.
The Minister has stressed her role was mainly advisory, and the decision to list a building still rested with each planning authority. However, if one of her recommendations is not accepted, the authority must advise her of the reasons for its decision. The Minister has previously recommended protection for individual structures such as the former Yeats home at Rathfarnham, Dublin, and a warehouse in Sligo.
She said she would be commenting on individual cases as they arose, but the new approach was aimed at making recommendations for protection in advance to avoid dealing with emergencies.
The Minister confirmed the system would be based on surveys published by Duchas, the Heritage Service of her Department.
