The establishment of the Heritage Council, under the Heritage Act 1995, was to "promote public interest in and knowledge, appreciation and protection of the National Heritage". Under the Act, the function of the council is described as: "proposing policies and priorities for the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of the national heritage, including monuments, archaeological objects, heritage objects, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, wildlife habits, landscapes, seascapes, wrecks, geology, heritage gardens and parks, and inland waterways". To date, the Heritage Council has proved extremely active and has published an impressive and wide-ranging number of reports. Its chief executive, Michael Starrett, is aware the council has been wrongly viewed as an extension of An Taisce.
He sees the council as an adviser to the Minister. But we have Duchas, so do we need a Heritage Council? "Of course we do," says Starrett. "We are an independent, apolitical voice. We wait until we're fully informed before deciding on action. Our agenda is about getting heritage taken more seriously and having a proper policy-led approach." He stresses the council enjoys good relations with all heritage bodies at local and national levels. With a budget of £8 million and a wide brief, the council is concerned with striking a national balance.
Currently the tenant of Kilkenny Archaeological Society, the council is based in the newly restored third house of Rothe House. Built in 1594, it is the only example of a middle-class Tudor merchant house in Ireland. Not surprisingly, the council is under pressure in Kilkenny to intervene in some of the wilder planning decisions. "We can't be seen to be favouring Kilkenny though," he says. The council's National Buildings at Risk register has nearly 500 cases awaiting grants.
An Taisce remains the best-known independent voice of Irish heritage. Established in 1949, it is a voluntary organisation with a current membership of 5,000. It runs on a budget of £30,000, which comes from membership subscriptions and projects such as Blue Flags and Green Schools. An Taisce receives no core government funding (although it has recently applied for some) and runs projects for the Department of the Environment. Some of the profits from these projects are used to help to fund An Taisce.
Its power derives from having legal status under the Planning Acts, which means local authorities are obliged to notify An Taisce concerning important applications. It must be conceded, however, that its real power is its right to appeal developments to An Bord Pleanala.
An Taisce's chairman, Michael Smith, has been fighting the imposition of fees for observations, either positive or negative, on planning applications made to local authorities. The fees would have a critical impact on environmental and community groups. "It's an extraordinary and perverted decision to inhibit commentary," says Frank Convery, former An Taisce chairman and Heritage Trust Professor of Environment Studies at UCD.
Archaeologist John Bradley, author of the Irish Historic Towns Atlas fascicle on Kilkenny and a specialist in the archaeology of medieval towns, says he is worried: "I'd like to see Duchas as more independent so that it can act in a leadership role". He feels An Taisce has proven itself to be "a worthwhile watchdog". Under Smith, who is restructuring the organisation, it may well acquire sharper teeth. An Taisce has also expressed serious misgivings about the state of many of our heritage towns and has already completed surveys of 20 of the 34, finding them unworthy of their status.
Originally devised as Theme Towns, the Heritage Towns concept was devised by Bord Failte with the aim of increasing tourism. It came into being under the Programme for National Recovery as part of the Operational Programme for Tourism 1989-93. It availed of EC (as it was then) structural funding of £188 million and individual grants ranged between £200,000£250,000. According to Noel Kavanagh, environment officer with Bord Failte and the organiser of the scheme, the funds were allocated around individual projects, such as the restoration of a specific building. "It was in fact born of the Tidy Towns - as it was about getting communities involved." Opinions vary as to how the funds were spent; how the word "heritage" has been interpreted; why so many period buildings in heritage towns have ugly, modern plastic windows; the use of garish wall paintings and decorations; and why kitsch gentrification became confused with heritage.
In Northern Ireland, the heritage has two main protectors: the Department of Environment, which has responsibility for archaeological and historic monuments, the environment and wildlife; and the National Trust, a registered charity which is independent, well-supported by gifts and legacies, has a membership of 35,000 and is, of course, part of the National Trust which operates in England and Wales.
Founded in 1895 with the aim of "preserving places of historic interest or natural beauty", the National Trust's brief is the protection of historic houses and gardens, as well as industrial monuments and mills. Gavin Hewitt of the National Trust enthuses about the trust's purchase of Slieve Donard, the highest peak in the Mourne Mountains. Though it has been bequeathed some properties, An Taisce has not purchased anything on that scale. A com parable situation in the Republic is the National Parks run by the Government.
The natural and built heritage of Ireland, damaged and ignored in the past, is now threatened by development and road planning. Con Manning, a senior archaeologist with Duchas, says "a lot of planning is done by engineers". The Heritage Council has been in dialogue with the National Roads Authority (NRA).
"Regarding the authority's assessment of proposed routes for development," says Starrett, "we suggest that heritage is considered at the outset. Duchas has recently reached an agreement with the NRA and we're anxious to see how effective this is." Far from protecting our urban and rural landscape, the new wealth is destroying it. "Heritage is about community," says John Bradley, "and our post-modern, individualist society has destroyed notions of community and with it, heritage."
He may well be right.