Madam, - I refer to the article "A giant step for heritage?" in your edition of July 2nd. An Taisce is not "erroneously" considered to be Ireland's national trust. It is Ireland's national trust membership society and carries out the work of a national trust in property ownership, education programmes and advocacy as do all other national trusts.
Macedonia, Lithuania and Greece also have such national trust membership societies. However they, like this republic, are the only European countries that have such societies that do not have statutory provision - a vital, fundamental, requirement for the full functioning of a national trust.
National trusts are independent, non-governmental, voluntary membership organisations that frequently receive legislative provision in order to permit them to carry out their charitable objectives: "To take up the challenge of reducing and eventually reversing the progressive damage and destruction of cultural and natural heritage" (International Edinburgh Declaration of National Trusts, 2003).
An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland, was founded following a public meeting in Dublin's Mansion House in 1946, convened by the RIA, the Royal Society of Antiquaries, An Óige, the Geographical Society of Ireland, the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club and the Irish Society for the Preservation of Birds.
From the outset it was the successor to the all-Ireland National Trust Committee which ceased to exist that year after the passage of the Northern Ireland National Trust Act. The first council contained a number of distinguished persons who were members of the former all-Ireland committee. Its constitution was modelled on that of the National Trust for Scotland.
It acquired its first property in 1950 in Killarney (now part of the national park) and currently holds 16 important heritage properties, including 6,500 acres of Donegal gifted by the land commission in 1968, and Kanturk Castle inherited from the National Trust in 1951. In 1963 it became a statutory consultee under the planning acts, a distinction shared with some other national trusts in their countries. It is a founder member of all the international organisations of national trusts and is bound by the international declarations of national trusts.
Throughout its long history it has continually sought the necessary legislative framework to permit its aim of holding and managing heritage property in trust for the benefit of all the people in perpetuity to be carried out effectively. It is also seeking legislative provision for all voluntary bodies which carry out this work, as is the case in other jurisdictions. To this end it has been promoting a heritage trust bill that would permit recognition of all that labour in this field.
I am not the chair of An Taisce as stated in the article of July 2nd. I have just stood down as chair of the properties committee after six years at our recent AGM. I remain a member of the national council. - Yours, etc,
JOHN DUCIE, Prince Edward Terrace, Blackrock, Co Dublin.